Photo: Chris Favero from USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Brookfield than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brookfield gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #122 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then tornadoes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 52 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Brookfield’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Brookfield 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
Tornadoes
Hail
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 Brookfield’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brookfield, and Brookfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 11% (higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts).
A #122 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Brookfield’s residents live in 13 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, Brookfield has less expected damage per building than 66% of Wisconsin towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $13.4M a year in losses across Brookfield: $8.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brookfield flood? Sometimes: 52 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brookfield, from FEMA’s records: 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Storm9 claims · $222K
- The 2025-08-MilwaukeeMetro-Flood7 claims · $121K
- The March 2019 Midwest Flooding1 claim · $4K
Brookfield 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brookfield
Disasters that paid out in Brookfield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Brookfield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding52 households applied for aid$213K aid approved
- 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Mudslides551 households applied for aid$3.6M aid approved7 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding322 households applied for aid$700K aid approved$221K to the City of Brookfield for repairs
- 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$81K to the City of Brookfield for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$102 aid approved
- 2000Snow$29K to the City of Brookfield for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
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.
Old photos of Brookfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brookfield archive →Brookfield and its neighbors
Brookfield is 5th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Berlin | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| West Allis | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Butler | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Brookfield | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Brookfield | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
| Menomonee Falls | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Wauwatosa | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 117 |
| Elm Grove | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
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 Brookfield 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Brookfield
Is Brookfield at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brookfield has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #122 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Brookfield flood?
Flood insurance has paid 52 claims in Brookfield since 1979, $764K in all, or 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 10 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Storm (9).
Is Brookfield 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 Brookfield?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brookfield’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 Brookfield?
By FEMA money that reached Brookfield, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Mudslides (2025): 551 households applied for aid, $3.6M approved. By flood claims, Storm: 9 paid, $222K.
Is Brookfield at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Brookfield’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brookfield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brookfield’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.