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Hortonville Community HallHortonville Community Hall · Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hortonville · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Hortonville than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hortonville gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #173 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 80%Tornadoes 9%Hail 8%

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 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#173 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
A−#173 of 362
in Wisconsin · lower than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 8 declared for Outagamie County
By hazard

What Hortonville 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

80%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Earthquakes Wildfire Hurricanes Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 23% of Hortonville’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 Hortonville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hortonville, and Hortonville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 9% (higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Hortonville sits
Hortonville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #173 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Hortonville’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Tornadoes9%Hail8%Everything else3%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hortonville has less expected damage per building than 52% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Hortonville: $770K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hortonville’s 3,028 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Hortonia town (1,052 residents) and Liberty town (826 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Hortonville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hortonville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Outagamie County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hortonville

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$15K to the Village of Hortonville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HortonvilleOutagamie County only

Outagamie County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hortonville archive →
Next door

Hortonville and its neighbors

Hortonville is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hortonia: hazard risk A−Ellington: hazard risk BHortoniaEllingtonHortonville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HortoniaA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding—
HortonvilleA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding0
EllingtonBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding—

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 Hortonville 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Hortonville

Is Hortonville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hortonville has lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #173 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (9%). 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 Hortonville 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 Outagamie County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hortonville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hortonville, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $15K to the Village of Hortonville for repairs.

Is Hortonville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Hortonville’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hortonville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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