Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Edson

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Edson · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Edson than in 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Edson 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 (78%), then tornadoes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2016.

River and rain flooding 78%Tornadoes 11%Strong wind 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

less than 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Wisconsin · lower than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2016 · $199K
Disasters paid out here
1
of 8 declared for Chippewa County
By hazard

What Edson 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

78%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area

Strong wind

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Lightning Winter storms Earthquakes Wildfire 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 37% of Edson’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 Edson’s grade

River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Edson, and Edson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 11% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Edson sits
Edson
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding78%Tornadoes11%Strong wind5%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $374K a year in losses across Edson: $176K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Edson’s 1,141 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Cadott village (1,498 residents) and Sigel town (1,132 residents) and Boyd village (605 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 Edson flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2016

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Edson, from FEMA’s records: 7.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2016: 3 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2016
20162026
3
paid claims since 2016
$199K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$66K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Chippewa County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Edson

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

  1. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$53K to the Town of Edson for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EdsonChippewa County only

Chippewa County has had 8 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Edson archive →
Next door

Edson and its neighbors

Edson is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Worden: not gradedSigel: hazard risk B+Wilson: not gradedDelmar: hazard risk B+WordenSigelWilsonDelmarEdson
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SigelB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding—
EdsonB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding3
DelmarB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding—
Worden—714 residents; we grade 1,000+
Wilson—498 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 Edson 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Edson

Is Edson at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Edson 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 (78%) and tornadoes (11%). 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.

Does Edson flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Edson since 2016, $199K in all, or 7.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Edson 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 Chippewa County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Edson?

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

By FEMA money that reached Edson, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2016): $53K to the Town of Edson for repairs.

Is Edson at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Edson’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Edson.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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