Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to La Valle

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 La Valle · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, La Valle faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Valle gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2018.

River and rain flooding 83%Hail 8%Tornadoes 7%

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 60%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 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
83% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 2018 · $445K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 12 declared for Sauk County
By hazard

What La Valle 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

83%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
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 12% of La Valle’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 La Valle’s grade

River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in La Valle, and La Valle’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 8%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where La Valle sits
La Valle
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

La Valle’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding83%Hail8%Tornadoes7%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across La Valle: $781K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. La Valle covers 4 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 La Valle flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2018

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in La Valle, from FEMA’s records: 6.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 7 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2018
20182026
7
paid claims since 2018
$445K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$64K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Sauk County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to La Valle

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

  1. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides$192K to the Town of La Valle for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$184K to the Town of La Valle for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the Town of La Valle for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in La ValleSauk County only

Sauk 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 La Valle after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the La Valle archive →
Next door

La Valle and its neighbors

La Valle has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Winfield: not gradedWoodland: not gradedIronton: not gradedSummit: not gradedWinfieldWoodlandIrontonSummitLa Valle
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
La ValleC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding7
Winfield—893 residents; we grade 1,000+
Woodland—not graded yet
Ironton—623 residents; we grade 1,000+
Summit—710 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 La Valle 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 La Valle

Is La Valle at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Valle has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hail (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does La Valle flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in La Valle since 2018, $445K in all, or 6.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is La Valle 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 Sauk County, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in La Valle?

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

By FEMA money that reached La Valle, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides (2018): $192K to the Town of La Valle for repairs.

Is La Valle at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and La Valle’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in La Valle.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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