Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Chetek as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chetek gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then tornadoes (10%). 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 Chetek 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 Chetek’s grade
River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chetek, and Chetek’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 9%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B− lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Chetek’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Chetek: $921K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chetek flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Chetek. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Chetek isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Barron County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chetek
Disasters that paid out in Chetek itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Chetek), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$85K to the City of Chetek for repairs
- 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$6K to the City of Chetek for repairs
Barron County has had 7 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.
Old photos of Chetek after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chetek archive →Chetek and its neighbors
Chetek has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chetek | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Chetek | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Prairie Lake | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Chetek 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 Chetek
Is Chetek at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chetek has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Chetek 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 Barron County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chetek?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chetek’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 Chetek?
By FEMA money that reached Chetek, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $85K to the City of Chetek for repairs.
Is Chetek at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Chetek’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chetek.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chetek’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.