Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Tomahawk as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tomahawk gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #298 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1981.
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 Tomahawk 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
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 Tomahawk’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tomahawk, and Tomahawk’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 7% (higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #298 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tomahawk’s residents live in 3 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, Tomahawk has more expected damage per building than 82% of Wisconsin towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Tomahawk: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tomahawk flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tomahawk, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Tomahawk isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lincoln County.The storms Tomahawk remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Lincoln County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Tomahawk itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lincoln County has had 6 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 Tomahawk after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tomahawk archive →Get ready for what Tomahawk 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.
- 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 Tomahawk
Is Tomahawk at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tomahawk has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #298 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Tomahawk flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Tomahawk since 1981, $578 in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Tomahawk 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 Lincoln County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Tomahawk?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tomahawk’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Tomahawk at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Tomahawk’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tomahawk.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tomahawk’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.