Photo: Asher Heimermann · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Kohler faces less hazard damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kohler gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Kohler 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
Tornadoes
Hail
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.
What’s behind Kohler’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kohler, and Kohler’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 14% (higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Kohler’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $786K a year in losses across Kohler: $552K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kohler flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Kohler. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Kohler isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sheboygan County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kohler
Disasters that paid out in Kohler itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Kohler), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding8 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$15K to the Village of Kohler for repairs
- 2000Snow$3K to the Village of Kohler for repairs
Sheboygan County has had 8 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.
Old photos of Kohler after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kohler archive →Kohler and its neighbors
Kohler is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheboygan | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Sheboygan | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Wilson | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Kohler | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Sheboygan Falls | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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.
Get ready for what Kohler faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Kohler
Is Kohler at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kohler has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (14%). 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 Kohler 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 Sheboygan County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kohler?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kohler’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 Kohler?
By FEMA money that reached Kohler, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 8 households applied for aid, $2K approved, and $15K to the Village of Kohler for repairs.
Is Kohler at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Kohler’s rate for it is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kohler.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kohler’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.