Lorine Niedecker Cottage · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0Storms, floods and disasters in Sumner
Sumner isn’t graded for hazard risk: Sumner has 824 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 230 claims here since 1979.
What Sumner 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.
Does Sumner flood? Yes: 230 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sumner, from FEMA’s records.
- The Storm19 claims · $1.2M
- The March 2019 Midwest Flooding1 claim · $10K
Sumner isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.The storms Sumner remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sumner itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2008109 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Jefferson County
- 199342 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Jefferson County
- 200425 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Jefferson County
Jefferson 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.
Old photos of Sumner after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sumner archive →Sumner and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albion | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Oakland | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Koshkonong | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lake Koshkonong | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Sumner 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 Sumner
Does Sumner flood?
Flood insurance has paid 230 claims in Sumner since 1979, $6.2M in all. The most claims came from Storm (19).
Is Sumner 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 Jefferson 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 Sumner?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sumner’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 Sumner?
By flood claims, Storm: 19 paid, $1.2M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sumner.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sumner’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.