Fern School · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0Storms, floods and disasters in Fern
Fern isn’t graded for hazard risk: Fern has 212 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Fern 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
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.
Does Fern flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Fern. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Fern isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Florence County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Fern
Disasters that paid out in Fern itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Fern), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 1999Wi-flood-07/20/99$10K to the Town of Fern for repairs
Florence County has had 3 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 Fern after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fern archive →Fern and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Commonwealth | — | 512 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Fence | — | 259 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 Fern 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.
- 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 Fern
Is Fern 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 Florence County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Fern?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fern’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 Fern?
By FEMA money that reached Fern, Wi-flood-07/20/99 (1999): $10K to the Town of Fern for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fern.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fern’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.