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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Elroy · FEMA

FEMA puts Elroy’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elroy gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 82%Hail 9%Tornadoes 8%

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 63%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 63% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
24
paid since 2008 · $2.4M
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
5
of 13 declared for Juneau County

What stands out about Elroy’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Moved out of harm’s way23 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 201818 flood claims were paid for 2018 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Elroy 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

82%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning Earthquakes Wildfire Hurricanes Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 25% of Elroy’s expected losses. Heat 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 Elroy’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elroy, and Elroy’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 9%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Elroy sits
Elroy
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Elroy’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Hail9%Tornadoes8%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Elroy: $482K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides in 2018, FEMA took 88 aid registrations from Elroy addresses (the town has 683 homes).
A small-area figure. Elroy covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Elroy flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elroy, from FEMA’s records: 35.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 5 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 18 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200820152018
20082026
Biggest named events
  • The Storm5 claims · $161K
24
paid claims since 2008
$2.4M
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$98K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Juneau County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
23flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Elroy

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides88 households applied for aid$198K aid approved$127K to the City of Elroy for repairs18 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding92 households applied for aid$251K aid approved$48K to the City of Elroy for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$413 aid approved
  5. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$1K to the City of Elroy for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ElroyJuneau County only

Juneau County has had 13 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 Elroy after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Elroy archive →
Next door

Elroy and its neighbors

Elroy has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Wonewoc: not gradedPlymouth: not gradedWonewocPlymouthElroy
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ElroyC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding24
Wonewoc—685 residents; we grade 1,000+
Plymouth—547 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 Elroy 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Elroy

Is Elroy at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elroy has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hail (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Elroy flood?

Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Elroy since 2008, $2.4M in all, or 35.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Storm (5).

Is Elroy 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 Juneau County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Elroy?

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

By FEMA money that reached Elroy, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides (2018): 88 households applied for aid, $198K approved, and $127K to the City of Elroy for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 5 paid, $161K.

Is Elroy at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Elroy’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elroy.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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