On FEMA’s figures, Bass Lake faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bass Lake gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #306 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Bass Lake faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Bass Lake’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bass Lake, and Bass Lake’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #306 of 362 in Wisconsin; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bass Lake’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bass Lake has more expected damage per building than 84% of Wisconsin towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Bass Lake: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bass Lake flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bass Lake. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bass Lake isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sawyer County.The storms Bass Lake remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Sawyer County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bass Lake itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Sawyer County has had 6 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Bass Lake and its neighbors
Bass Lake is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bass Lake | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Sand Lake | — | not graded yet | |
| Reserve | — | 252 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bass Lake | — | 677 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Couderay | — | 278 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Little Round Lake | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Chief Lake | — | 660 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Bass Lake faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Bass Lake
Is Bass Lake at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bass Lake has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #306 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Bass Lake in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Sawyer County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Bass Lake?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bass Lake’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Bass Lake at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Bass Lake’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bass Lake.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bass Lake’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.