Photo: Downspec · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Hayward than in 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hayward gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #259 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Hayward 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
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 Hayward’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hayward, and Hayward’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
B #259 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hayward’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hayward has more expected damage per building than 71% of Wisconsin towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.5M a year in losses across Hayward: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hayward flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hayward. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hayward isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sawyer County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hayward
Disasters that paid out in Hayward itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Hayward), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding$51K to the Town of Hayward for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$997 to the Town of Hayward for repairs
Sawyer County has had 6 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 Hayward after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hayward archive →Hayward and its neighbors
Hayward is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Hayward | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Lenroot | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Round Lake | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bass Lake | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hunter | — | 902 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Little Round Lake | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Chief Lake | — | 660 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Reserve | — | 252 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Couderay | — | 278 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bass Lake | — | 677 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 Hayward 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.
- 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 Hayward
Is Hayward at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hayward has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #259 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Hayward 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 Sawyer County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Hayward?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hayward’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 Hayward?
By FEMA money that reached Hayward, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): $51K to the Town of Hayward for repairs.
Is Hayward at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Hayward’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hayward.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hayward’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.