Photo: Gplehner · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Oconto Falls faces less hazard damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oconto Falls gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #82 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1978.
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 Oconto Falls 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
Tornadoes
Hail
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 Oconto Falls’ grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oconto Falls, and Oconto Falls’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).
A #82 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oconto Falls’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Oconto Falls has less expected damage per building than 78% of Wisconsin towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Oconto Falls: $670K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oconto Falls flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oconto Falls, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Oconto Falls 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 Oconto Falls remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Oconto County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oconto Falls itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19781 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 Oconto Falls after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oconto Falls archive →Oconto Falls and its neighbors
Oconto Falls has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oconto Falls | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Oconto Falls | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Stiles | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Oconto Falls 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Oconto Falls
Is Oconto Falls at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oconto Falls has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #82 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and tornadoes (12%). 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 Oconto Falls flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Oconto Falls since 1978, $372 in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Oconto Falls 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 Oconto Falls?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oconto Falls’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Oconto Falls at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Oconto Falls’ rate for it is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oconto Falls.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oconto Falls’ 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.