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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Holmen · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Holmen than in 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Holmen gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #236 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then hail (13%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2019.

River and rain flooding 75%Hail 13%Tornadoes 11%

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

less than 69%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#236 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
B+#236 of 362
in Wisconsin · lower than 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
75% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2019 · $14K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 15 declared for La Crosse County
By hazard

What Holmen 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

75%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hail

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning Winter storms Earthquakes Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 35% of Holmen’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Holmen’s grade

River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Holmen, and Holmen’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 13%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Holmen sits
Holmen
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #236 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Holmen’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding75%Hail13%Tornadoes11%Everything else1%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Holmen has more expected damage per building than 65% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.7M a year in losses across Holmen: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Holmen covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Holmen flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2019

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Holmen, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2019: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2019
20192026
Biggest named events
  • The March 2019 Midwest Flooding2 claims · $14K
2
paid claims since 2019
$14K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Holmen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: La Crosse County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Holmen

Disasters that paid out in Holmen itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Holmen), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2017Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud$40K to the Village of Holmen for repairs
  2. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$11K to the Village of Holmen for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HolmenLa Crosse County only

La Crosse County has had 15 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Holmen after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Holmen archive →
Next door

Holmen and its neighbors

Holmen is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Onalaska: hazard risk B+Holland: hazard risk B+Onalaska: hazard risk AOnalaskaHollandOnalaskaHolmen
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
OnalaskaAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding2
HollandB+less damage than 69%river and rain flooding—
HolmenB+less damage than 69%river and rain flooding2
OnalaskaB+less damage than 67%river and rain flooding4

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Holmen faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Holmen

Is Holmen at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Holmen has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #236 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and hail (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Holmen flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Holmen since 2019, $14K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from March 2019 Midwest Flooding (2).

Is Holmen 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 La Crosse County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Holmen?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Holmen’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 Holmen?

By FEMA money that reached Holmen, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud (2017): $40K to the Village of Holmen for repairs. By flood claims, March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 2 paid, $14K.

Is Holmen at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Holmen’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Holmen.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Holmen’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.