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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kewaskum · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Kewaskum than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kewaskum gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #219 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 79%Tornadoes 13%Hail 6%

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 72%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#219 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
B+#219 of 362
in Wisconsin · lower than 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2008 · $30K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 11 declared for Washington County
By hazard

What Kewaskum 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

79%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning top 2% Earthquakes Wildfire Hurricanes Winter storms Ice 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 24% of Kewaskum’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 Kewaskum’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kewaskum, and Kewaskum’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Kewaskum sits
Kewaskum
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #219 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Tornadoes13%Hail6%Everything else2%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kewaskum has more expected damage per building than 60% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Kewaskum: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kewaskum’s 4,309 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Kewaskum town (1,118 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 Kewaskum flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kewaskum, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20082019
20082026
Biggest named events
  • The Storm1 claim · $5K
2
paid claims since 2008
$30K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$15K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Washington County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kewaskum

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$790 aid approved
  2. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  3. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Village of Kewaskum for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding22 households applied for aid$27K aid approved$4K to the Village of Kewaskum for repairs
  5. 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$5K to the Village of Kewaskum for repairs
  6. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KewaskumWashington County only

Washington County has had 11 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 Kewaskum after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Kewaskum archive →
Next door

Kewaskum and its neighbors

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

Auburn: hazard risk AAuburnKewaskum
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AuburnAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding—
KewaskumB+less damage than 72%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 Kewaskum 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 Kewaskum

Is Kewaskum at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kewaskum has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #219 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (13%). 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 Kewaskum flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Kewaskum since 2008, $30K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Storm (1).

Is Kewaskum 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 Washington County, 37% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Kewaskum?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kewaskum, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 22 households applied for aid, $27K approved, and $4K to the Village of Kewaskum for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 1 paid, $5K.

Is Kewaskum at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Kewaskum’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kewaskum.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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