Sylvanus Wade House · Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Greenbush’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Greenbush gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then tornadoes (18%). 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 Greenbush 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
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.
What’s behind Greenbush’s grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Greenbush, and Greenbush’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 18% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Greenbush’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $678K a year in losses across Greenbush: $415K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Greenbush flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Greenbush. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Greenbush isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sheboygan County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Greenbush
Disasters that paid out in Greenbush itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Greenbush), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2000Snow$2K to the Town of Greenbush for repairs
Sheboygan County has had 8 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 Greenbush after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Greenbush archive →Greenbush and its neighbors
Greenbush 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhine | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Greenbush | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Plymouth | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Mitchell | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Glenbeulah | — | 435 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Forest | — | not graded yet | |
| Russell | — | 410 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 Greenbush 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.
- 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 Greenbush
Is Greenbush at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Greenbush has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and tornadoes (18%). 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.
Is Greenbush 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 Sheboygan County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Greenbush?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Greenbush’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 Greenbush?
By FEMA money that reached Greenbush, Snow (2000): $2K to the Town of Greenbush for repairs.
Is Greenbush at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Greenbush’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Greenbush.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Greenbush’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.