Photo: User Royalbroil on en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Gibraltar, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gibraltar gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). 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 Gibraltar 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
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 Gibraltar’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gibraltar, and Gibraltar’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Gibraltar’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $753K a year in losses across Gibraltar: $509K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gibraltar flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Gibraltar. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Gibraltar isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Door County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Gibraltar
Disasters that paid out in Gibraltar itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Gibraltar), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2000Snow$2K to the Town of Gibraltar for repairs
Door County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Gibraltar after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gibraltar archive →Gibraltar and its neighbors
Gibraltar is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Grove | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Gibraltar | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Baileys Harbor | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Egg Harbor | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ephraim | — | 412 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 Gibraltar 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.
- 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 Gibraltar
Is Gibraltar at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gibraltar has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Gibraltar 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 Door County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gibraltar?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gibraltar’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 Gibraltar?
By FEMA money that reached Gibraltar, Snow (2000): $2K to the Town of Gibraltar for repairs.
Is Gibraltar at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Gibraltar’s rate for it is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gibraltar.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gibraltar’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.