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Big Bend (1)Photo: Awkwafaba · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Big Bend · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Big Bend than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Big Bend gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then tornadoes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 80%Tornadoes 11%Hail 7%

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

less than 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Wisconsin · lower than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 2008 · $141K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
5
of 16 declared for Waukesha County
By hazard

What Big Bend 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

80%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Lightning Wildfire Hurricanes Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 20% of Big Bend’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Big Bend’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Big Bend, and Big Bend’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 11% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Big Bend sits
Big Bend
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Big Bend’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Tornadoes11%Hail7%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $543K a year in losses across Big Bend: $342K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Big Bend covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Big Bend flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Big Bend, from FEMA’s records: 10.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 4 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 1 claim200820102026
20082026
Biggest named events
  • The Storm4 claims · $81K
  • The 2026-04-Flooding1 claim · $60K
6
paid claims since 2008
$141K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$24K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Big Bend isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Waukesha County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Big Bend

Disasters that paid out in Big Bend itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Big Bend), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$29K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding11 households applied for aid$26K aid approved$2K to the Village of Big Bend for repairs
  4. 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$3K to the Village of Big Bend for repairs
  5. 2000Snow$1K to the Village of Big Bend for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Big BendWaukesha County only

Waukesha County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Big Bend after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Big Bend archive →
Next door

Big Bend and its neighbors

Big Bend is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Vernon: hazard risk B+Muskego: hazard risk B+VernonMuskegoBig Bend
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MuskegoB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding36
Big BendB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding6
VernonB+less damage than 69%river and rain flooding1

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Big Bend faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Big Bend

Is Big Bend at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Big Bend has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Big Bend flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Big Bend since 2008, $141K in all, or 10.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Storm (4).

Is Big Bend 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 Waukesha County, 66% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Big Bend?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Big Bend’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Big Bend?

By FEMA money that reached Big Bend, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2026): 2 households applied for aid, $29K approved. By flood claims, Storm: 4 paid, $81K.

Is Big Bend at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Big Bend’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Big Bend.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Big Bend’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.