Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Little River faces more hazard damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Little River gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 37 claims here since 1985.
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 Little River 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 Little River’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Little River, and Little River’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Little River’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $827K a year in losses across Little River: $616K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Little River flood? Sometimes: 37 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Little River, from FEMA’s records: 77.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Little River isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oconto County.The storms Little River remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Oconto County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Little River itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201916 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, declared for Oconto County
- 198615 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19853 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Oconto County has had 3 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.
Old photos of Little River after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Little River archive →Little River and its neighbors
Little River is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peshtigo | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Pound | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Grover | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Little River | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Oconto | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Oconto | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 50 |
| Lena | — | 662 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 Little River 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 Little River
Is Little River at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Little River has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Little River flood?
Flood insurance has paid 37 claims in Little River since 1985, $436K in all, or 77.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Little River 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 Oconto County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Little River?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Little River’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Little River at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Little River’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Little River.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Little River’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.