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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Thorp · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Thorp faces less hazard damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Thorp gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then tornadoes (12%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 80%Tornadoes 12%Hail 6%

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 82%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 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 12 declared for Clark County
By hazard

What Thorp 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

80%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% 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 36% of Thorp’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 Thorp’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Thorp, and Thorp’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Thorp sits
Thorp
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Tornadoes12%Hail6%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $796K a year in losses across Thorp: $396K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Thorp’s 1,795 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Withee town (1,033 residents) and Thorp town (840 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 Thorp flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Thorp. 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

Thorp 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.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Thorp

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

  1. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$7K to the City of Thorp for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  3. 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$2K to the City of Thorp for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ThorpClark 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 Thorp after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Thorp archive →
Next door

Thorp and its neighbors

Thorp is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Thorp: not gradedWithee: hazard risk A−ThorpWitheeThorp
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WitheeA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding—
ThorpA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding0
Thorp—831 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 Thorp 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 Thorp

Is Thorp at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Thorp has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) 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.

Is Thorp 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 Thorp?

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

By FEMA money that reached Thorp, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2016): $7K to the City of Thorp for repairs.

Is Thorp at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Thorp’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Thorp.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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