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Neillsville Downtown Historic DistrictNeillsville Downtown Historic District · Photo: Jeff the quiet · CC0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Neillsville · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Neillsville 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, Neillsville gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 84%Tornadoes 9%Hail 5%

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 50%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 50% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 1978 · $149K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 12 declared for Clark County
By hazard

What Neillsville 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

84%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning top 5% Earthquakes Winter storms Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 28% of Neillsville’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 Neillsville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Neillsville, and Neillsville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 9% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Neillsville sits
Neillsville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Tornadoes9%Hail5%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Neillsville: $852K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Neillsville’s 2,384 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Neillsville flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Neillsville, from FEMA’s records: 7.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 2 claims1979: 0 claims1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 2 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 2 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819861993
19782026
8
paid claims since 1978
$149K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$19K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Clark County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
2storm safe rooms built
1building retrofitted against wind
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Neillsville

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

  1. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$4K to the City of Neillsville for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  3. 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$2K to the City of Neillsville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NeillsvilleClark County only

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

Add to the Neillsville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Neillsville 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 Neillsville

Is Neillsville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Neillsville has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (9%). 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 Neillsville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Neillsville since 1978, $149K in all, or 7.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Neillsville 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 Clark County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Neillsville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Neillsville, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): 7 households applied for aid, $6K approved.

Is Neillsville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Neillsville’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Neillsville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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