Copper Falls State Park · Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region · Public domain

–Not graded

Natural hazards in Morse · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Morse

Morse isn’t graded for hazard risk: Morse has 608 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1996.

Flood claims

paid since 1996 · $5K

Disasters paid out here

of 11 declared for Ashland County

By hazard

What Morse 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

95%of expected building damage

Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Smaller shares here

Tornadoes Hail Lightning top 1% Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Coastal flooding Earthquakes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides

FEMA models no building damage here

HurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 48% of Morse’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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Morse flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Morse, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year

1996

19962026

paid claims since 1996

$5K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$2K

average claim

of all homes are insured

No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Ashland County.

Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Morse

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

2018Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$22K to the Town of Morse for repairs
2013Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$141K to the Town of Morse for repairs
2012Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the Town of Morse for repairs
2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$3K to the Town of Morse for repairs
2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$36K to the Town of Morse for repairs
1999Wi-flood-07/20/99$8K to the Town of Morse for repairs

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in MorseAshland County only

Ashland County has had 11 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 Morse after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Morse archive →

Next door

Morse and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

AshlandAndersonMellenGordonMarengoSanbornMorse

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)	Flood claims
Sanborn	A⁻less damage than 82%	river and rain flooding	—
Ashland	—	654 residents; we grade 1,000+
Anderson	—	38 residents; we grade 1,000+
Mellen	—	681 residents; we grade 1,000+
Gordon	—	403 residents; we grade 1,000+
Marengo	—	577 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 Morse 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.

Questions about natural hazards in Morse

Does Morse flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Morse since 1996, $5K in all.

Is Morse 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 Ashland County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Morse?

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

By FEMA money that reached Morse, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2013): $141K to the Town of Morse for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Morse.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

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

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