Fort Winnebago Surgeon's Quarters · Photo: Perrywattleworth · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Pacific faces more hazard damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, led by hail
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pacific gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #360 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is hail (49%), then river and rain flooding (45%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Pacific faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hail
River and rain flooding
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 Pacific’s grade
Hail is 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pacific, and Pacific’s rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 45% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).
D #360 of 362 in Wisconsin; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pacific’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pacific has more expected damage per building than 99% of Wisconsin towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Pacific: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pacific flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pacific. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pacific isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Columbia County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Pacific
Disasters that paid out in Pacific itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Pacific), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2000Snow$2K to the Town of Pacific for repairs
Columbia County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Pacific after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pacific archive →Pacific and its neighbors
Pacific is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyocena | Dmore damage than 86% | hail | 1 |
| Portage | Dmore damage than 87% | hail | 38 |
| Pacific | Dmore damage than 88% | hail | 0 |
| Caledonia | Dmore damage than 88% | hail | 26 |
| Dekorra | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Fort Winnebago | — | 798 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.
Get ready for what Pacific faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Pacific
Is Pacific at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pacific has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #360 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is hail (49%) and river and rain flooding (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Pacific 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 Columbia County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pacific?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pacific’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 Pacific?
By FEMA money that reached Pacific, Snow (2000): $2K to the Town of Pacific for repairs.
Is Pacific at risk from hail?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Pacific’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pacific.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pacific’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.