Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Independence

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Independence · FEMA

FEMA puts Independence’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Independence gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2016.

River and rain flooding 87%Tornadoes 6%Hail 4%

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

more than 79%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Wisconsin · higher than 79% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2016 · $6K
Disasters paid out here
1
of 12 declared for Trempealeau County
By hazard

What Independence 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

87%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Lightning top 1% 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 14% of Independence’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 Independence’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Independence, and Independence’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Independence sits
Independence
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Tornadoes6%Hail4%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Independence: $845K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Independence’s 1,498 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Independence flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2016

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Independence, from FEMA’s records: 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2016: 2 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2016
20162026
2
paid claims since 2016
$6K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$3K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Trempealeau County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Independence

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

  1. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$51K to the City of Independence for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in IndependenceTrempealeau County only

Trempealeau County has had 12 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 Independence after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Independence archive →
Next door

Independence and its neighbors

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

Arcadia: hazard risk CBurnside: not gradedLincoln: not gradedWhitehall: hazard risk C−ArcadiaBurnsideLincolnWhitehallIndependence
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ArcadiaCmore damage than 68%river and rain flooding27
IndependenceC−more damage than 79%river and rain flooding2
WhitehallC−more damage than 81%river and rain flooding1
Burnside—456 residents; we grade 1,000+
Lincoln—707 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Independence 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 ↗
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 Independence

Is Independence at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Independence has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and tornadoes (6%). 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.

Does Independence flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Independence since 2016, $6K in all, or 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Independence 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 Trempealeau County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Independence?

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

By FEMA money that reached Independence, Severe Storms and Flooding (2010): $51K to the City of Independence for repairs.

Is Independence at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Independence’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Independence.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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