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WaterlooWisconsinDowntown2WIS89WIS19Photo: self · CC BY-SA 2.5
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Waterloo · FEMA

FEMA puts Waterloo’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waterloo gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #244 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 75%Tornadoes 14%Hail 9%

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 66%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#244 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
B+#244 of 362
in Wisconsin · lower than 66% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
75% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2008 · $23K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 11 declared for Jefferson County
By hazard

What Waterloo 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

75%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Hail

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Wildfire Hurricanes Winter storms Ice 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 15% of Waterloo’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 Waterloo’s grade

River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Waterloo, and Waterloo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 14% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Waterloo sits
Waterloo
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #244 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding75%Tornadoes14%Hail9%Everything else2%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Waterloo has more expected damage per building than 67% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Waterloo: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Waterloo’s 3,492 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Waterloo town (867 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 Waterloo flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Waterloo, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 3 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 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 claims2008
20082026
Biggest named events
  • The Storm3 claims · $23K
3
paid claims since 2008
$23K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Waterloo 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.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Waterloo

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding73 households applied for aid$68K aid approved$260K to the City of Waterloo for repairs
  3. 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$3K to the City of Waterloo for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$424 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WaterlooJefferson County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Waterloo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Waterloo archive →
Next door

Waterloo and its neighbors

Waterloo is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Waterloo: not gradedPortland: hazard risk A−Medina: hazard risk A−WaterlooPortlandMedinaWaterloo
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MedinaA−less damage than 81%river and rain flooding—
PortlandA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding—
WaterlooB+less damage than 66%river and rain flooding3
Waterloo—934 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 Waterloo 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 Waterloo

Is Waterloo at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waterloo has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #244 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and tornadoes (14%). 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.

Does Waterloo flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Waterloo since 2008, $23K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Storm (3).

Is Waterloo 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 Waterloo?

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

By FEMA money that reached Waterloo, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 73 households applied for aid, $68K approved, and $260K to the City of Waterloo for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 3 paid, $23K.

Is Waterloo at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Waterloo’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Waterloo.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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