Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Cassian faces less hazard damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cassian gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). 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 Cassian 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
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 Cassian’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cassian, and Cassian’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cassian’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $713K a year in losses across Cassian: $348K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cassian flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cassian. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Cassian isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oneida County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Cassian
Disasters that paid out in Cassian itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cassian), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$10K to the Town of Cassian for repairs
Oneida County has had 6 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 Cassian after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cassian archive →Cassian and its neighbors
Cassian is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazelhurst | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lake Tomahawk | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Nokomis | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Cassian | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Newbold | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Little Rice | — | 338 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 Cassian 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.
- 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 Cassian
Is Cassian at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cassian has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Cassian 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 Oneida County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cassian?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cassian’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 Cassian?
By FEMA money that reached Cassian, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2000): $10K to the Town of Cassian for repairs.
Is Cassian at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Cassian’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cassian.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cassian’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.