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Waterford, WIPhoto: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Waterford · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Waterford than in 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waterford gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #332 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 88%Tornadoes 8%Hail 3%

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

more than 61%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#332 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
C+#332 of 362
in Wisconsin · higher than 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2008 · $12K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 14 declared for Racine County
By hazard

What Waterford 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

88%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning 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 16% of Waterford’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 Waterford’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Waterford, and Waterford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Waterford sits
Waterford
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #332 of 362 in Wisconsin; higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Waterford’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Tornadoes8%Everything else4%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Waterford has more expected damage per building than 92% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Waterford: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Waterford covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Waterford flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Waterford, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20082010
20082026
2
paid claims since 2008
$12K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Racine County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Waterford

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding10 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$10K to the Village of Waterford for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding64 households applied for aid$97K aid approved$53K to the Village of Waterford for repairs
  4. 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$9K to the Village of Waterford for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding12 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  6. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$228 aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2000Snow$6K to the Village of Waterford for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WaterfordRacine County only

Racine County has had 14 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 Waterford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Waterford archive →
Next door

Waterford and its neighbors

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

Waterford: not gradedTichigan: not gradedRochester: hazard risk C+WaterfordTichiganRochesterWaterford
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RochesterC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding1
WaterfordC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding2
Waterford—not graded yet
Tichigan—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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Waterford 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 ↗
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 Waterford

Is Waterford at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waterford has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #332 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Waterford flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Waterford since 2008, $12K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Waterford 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 Racine County, 46% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Waterford?

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

By FEMA money that reached Waterford, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 64 households applied for aid, $97K approved, and $53K to the Village of Waterford for repairs.

Is Waterford at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Waterford’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Waterford.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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