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KaukaunasouthsidedowntownPhoto: Tjrudebeck at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Kaukauna · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Kaukauna than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kaukauna gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #105 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2015.

River and rain flooding 78%Tornadoes 10%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 90%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#105 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
A#105 of 362
in Wisconsin · lower than 90% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2015 · $11K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 8 declared for Outagamie County
By hazard

What Kaukauna 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

78%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

10%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 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Earthquakes Hurricanes Wildfire 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 32% of Kaukauna’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 Kaukauna’s grade

River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kaukauna, and Kaukauna’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Kaukauna sits
Kaukauna
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #105 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Kaukauna’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding78%Tornadoes10%Hail8%Everything else3%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kaukauna has less expected damage per building than 71% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.0M a year in losses across Kaukauna: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Kaukauna covers 6 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 Kaukauna flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2015

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kaukauna, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20152018
20152026
2
paid claims since 2015
$11K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Kaukauna 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

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kaukauna

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$115K to the City of Kaukauna for repairs
  3. 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$3K to the City of Kaukauna for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KaukaunaOutagamie 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 Kaukauna after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Kaukauna archive →
Next door

Kaukauna and its neighbors

Kaukauna is 6th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Buchanan: hazard risk A+Vandenbroek: hazard risk A+Kaukauna: hazard risk A+Little Chute: hazard risk A+Combined Locks: hazard risk A+Harrison: hazard risk ABuchananVandenbroekKaukaunaLittle ChuteCombined LocksHarrisonKaukauna
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Little ChuteA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding—
BuchananA+less damage than 97%river and rain flooding—
Combined LocksA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding—
VandenbroekA+less damage than 95%river and rain flooding—
KaukaunaA+less damage than 95%river and rain flooding1
KaukaunaAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding2
HarrisonAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding2

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 Kaukauna 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 Kaukauna

Is Kaukauna at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kaukauna has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #105 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Kaukauna flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Kaukauna since 2015, $11K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Kaukauna 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 Kaukauna?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kaukauna, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $115K to the City of Kaukauna for repairs.

Is Kaukauna at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Kaukauna’s rate for it is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kaukauna.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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