Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Markesan

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
MarkesanWisconsinPhoto: User Royalbroil on en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 2.5
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Markesan · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Markesan than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Markesan gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), then tornadoes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 63%Tornadoes 17%Hail 17%

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 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Wisconsin · lower than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
63% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 2008 · $24K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 6 declared for Green Lake County
By hazard

What Markesan 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

63%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

17%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Hail

17%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Wildfire Lightning 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 14% of Markesan’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 Markesan’s grade

River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Markesan, and Markesan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 17%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Markesan sits
Markesan
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding63%Tornadoes17%Hail17%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Markesan: $760K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Markesan’s 1,377 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Mackford town (495 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 Markesan flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Markesan, from FEMA’s records: 7.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 4 claims2009: 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 Storm3 claims · $19K
  • The March 2019 Midwest Flooding1 claim · $4K
5
paid claims since 2008
$24K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Green Lake County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Markesan

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

  1. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding88 households applied for aid$129K aid approved$67K to the City of Markesan for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding22 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$1K to the City of Markesan for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MarkesanGreen Lake County only

Green Lake 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Markesan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Markesan archive →
Next door

Markesan and its neighbors

Markesan has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Mackford: not gradedGreen Lake: not gradedManchester: hazard risk B+MackfordGreen LakeManchesterMarkesan
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MarkesanB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding5
ManchesterB+less damage than 66%river and rain flooding—
Mackford—451 residents; we grade 1,000+
Green Lake—not graded yet

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 Markesan 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 Markesan

Is Markesan at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Markesan has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) and tornadoes (17%). 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 Markesan flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Markesan since 2008, $24K in all, or 7.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Storm (3).

Is Markesan 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 Green Lake County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Markesan?

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

By FEMA money that reached Markesan, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 88 households applied for aid, $129K approved, and $67K to the City of Markesan for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 3 paid, $19K.

Is Markesan at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Markesan’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Markesan.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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