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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bridgeport · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Bridgeport 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, Bridgeport gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then tornadoes (10%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 80%Tornadoes 10%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

more than 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Wisconsin · higher than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 19 declared for Crawford County
By hazard

What Bridgeport 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
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 18 years in the area

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Winter storms Ice storms Hurricanes Wildfire 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 9% of Bridgeport’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 Bridgeport’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bridgeport, and Bridgeport’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Bridgeport sits
Bridgeport
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Bridgeport’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%Tornadoes10%Hail7%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Bridgeport: $909K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Bridgeport 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 Bridgeport flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bridgeport. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Crawford County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bridgeport

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

  1. 2017Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud$12K to the Town of Bridgeport for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$8K to the Town of Bridgeport for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$62K to the Town of Bridgeport for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$9K to the Town of Bridgeport for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BridgeportCrawford County only

Crawford County has had 19 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bridgeport archive →
Next door

Bridgeport and its neighbors

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

Prairie du Chien: hazard risk B−Wyalusing: not gradedMillville: not gradedPrairie du Chien: not gradedWauzeka: not gradedMarquette: not gradedPrairie du ChienWyalusingMillvillePrairie du ChienWauzekaMarquetteBridgeport
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Prairie du ChienB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding42
BridgeportC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding0
Wyalusing—352 residents; we grade 1,000+
Millville—121 residents; we grade 1,000+
Prairie du Chien—953 residents; we grade 1,000+
Wauzeka—441 residents; we grade 1,000+
Marquette—443 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Bridgeport 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 Bridgeport

Is Bridgeport at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bridgeport has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Bridgeport 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 Crawford County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bridgeport?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bridgeport’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 Bridgeport?

By FEMA money that reached Bridgeport, Severe Storms and Flooding (2007): $62K to the Town of Bridgeport for repairs.

Is Bridgeport at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Bridgeport’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bridgeport.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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