FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Lenroot as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lenroot gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Lenroot 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
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 Lenroot’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lenroot, and Lenroot’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lenroot’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Lenroot: $563K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lenroot flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Lenroot. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Lenroot isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sawyer County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Lenroot
Disasters that paid out in Lenroot itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Lenroot), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding$61K to the Town of Lenroot for repairs
Sawyer County has had 6 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 Lenroot after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lenroot archive →Lenroot and its neighbors
Lenroot is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lenroot | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Round Lake | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Cable | — | 859 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Barnes | — | 854 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Spider Lake | — | 538 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Frog Creek | — | 81 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.
Get ready for what Lenroot 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.
- 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 Lenroot
Is Lenroot at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lenroot has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Lenroot 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 Sawyer County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Lenroot?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lenroot’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 Lenroot?
By FEMA money that reached Lenroot, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): $61K to the Town of Lenroot for repairs.
Is Lenroot at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Lenroot’s rate for it is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lenroot.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lenroot’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.