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Orfordville Village HallPhoto: TheCatalyst31 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Orfordville · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Orfordville than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orfordville gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then tornadoes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 67%Tornadoes 18%Hail 10%

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 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Wisconsin · lower than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
67% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 13 declared for Rock County
By hazard

What Orfordville 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

67%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning top 1% Earthquakes Ice storms Hurricanes Wildfire Winter 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 18% of Orfordville’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 Orfordville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Orfordville, and Orfordville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 18% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Orfordville sits
Orfordville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding67%Tornadoes18%Hail10%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $632K a year in losses across Orfordville: $377K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Orfordville’s 1,473 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Footville village (772 residents) and Hanover CDP (179 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 Orfordville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Orfordville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Rock County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Orfordville

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding18 households applied for aid$44K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding23 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
  3. 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$3K to the Village of Orfordville for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  5. 2000Snow$2K to the Village of Orfordville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OrfordvilleRock County only

Rock County has had 13 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 Orfordville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Orfordville archive →
Next door

Orfordville and its neighbors

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

Spring Valley: not gradedPlymouth: hazard risk A−Spring ValleyPlymouthOrfordville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
OrfordvilleA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding0
PlymouthA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding1
Spring Valley—633 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 Orfordville 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 Orfordville

Is Orfordville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orfordville has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and tornadoes (18%). 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.

Is Orfordville 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 Rock County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Orfordville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Orfordville, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2026): 18 households applied for aid, $44K approved.

Is Orfordville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Orfordville’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orfordville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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