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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Carson · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Carson 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, Carson 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 (84%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 84%Tornadoes 9%Hail 5%

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
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 9 declared for Portage County
By hazard

What Carson 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

84%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Hail

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning Earthquakes Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 22% of Carson’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 Carson’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carson, and Carson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 9% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Carson sits
Carson
Least damageMiddleMost damage

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

All of Carson’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Tornadoes9%Hail5%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $825K a year in losses across Carson: $544K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Carson’s 1,374 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Eau Pleine town (1,063 residents) and Junction City village (420 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Carson flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Carson. 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

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

Insurance rates: Portage County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Carson

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

  1. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$59K to the Town of Carson for repairs
  2. 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$67K to the Town of Carson for repairs
  3. 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$9K to the Town of Carson for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CarsonPortage County only

Portage County has had 9 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 Carson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Carson archive →
Next door

Carson and its neighbors

Carson is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hull: hazard risk B−Junction City: not gradedLinwood: hazard risk CSherry: not gradedRudolph: hazard risk C+Eau Pleine: hazard risk C+HullJunction CityLinwoodSherryRudolphEau PleineCarson
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HullB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding—
Eau PleineC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding6
CarsonC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding0
RudolphC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding—
LinwoodCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding—
Junction City—311 residents; we grade 1,000+
Sherry—674 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 Carson 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 Carson

Is Carson at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carson 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 (84%) and tornadoes (9%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Carson 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 Portage County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Carson?

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

By FEMA money that reached Carson, Severe Storms and Flooding (2002): $67K to the Town of Carson for repairs.

Is Carson at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Carson’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carson.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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