Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0FEMA puts Excelsior’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Excelsior gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% 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.
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 Excelsior 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
Hail
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 Excelsior’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Excelsior, and Excelsior’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 7%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Excelsior’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $987K a year in losses across Excelsior: $720K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Excelsior flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Excelsior. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Excelsior isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sauk County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Excelsior
Disasters that paid out in Excelsior itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Excelsior), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$23K to the Town of Excelsior for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the Town of Excelsior for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$7K to the Town of Excelsior for repairs
Sauk County has had 12 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 Excelsior after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Excelsior archive →Excelsior and its neighbors
Excelsior 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baraboo | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Reedsburg | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Delton | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Excelsior | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Dellona | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| North Freedom | — | 716 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Freedom | — | 617 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 Excelsior 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.
- 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.
- 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 Excelsior
Is Excelsior at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Excelsior has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hail (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Excelsior 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 Sauk County, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Excelsior?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Excelsior’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 Excelsior?
By FEMA money that reached Excelsior, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): $23K to the Town of Excelsior for repairs.
Is Excelsior at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Excelsior’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Excelsior.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Excelsior’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.