Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Woodruff’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodruff gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2017.
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 Woodruff 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 Woodruff’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Woodruff, and Woodruff’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 7% (higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Woodruff’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Woodruff: $468K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Woodruff flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Woodruff, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Woodruff isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oneida County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Woodruff
Disasters that paid out in Woodruff itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Woodruff), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 1999Wi-flood-07/20/99$4K to the Town of Woodruff for repairs
Oneida County has had 6 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Woodruff after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Woodruff archive →Woodruff and its neighbors
Woodruff has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodruff | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Minocqua | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lac du Flambeau | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Arbor Vitae | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lake Tomahawk | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Newbold | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Woodruff 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 Woodruff
Is Woodruff at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodruff has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Woodruff flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Woodruff since 2017, $15K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Woodruff 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 Oneida County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Woodruff?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodruff’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 Woodruff?
By FEMA money that reached Woodruff, Wi-flood-07/20/99 (1999): $4K to the Town of Woodruff for repairs.
Is Woodruff at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Woodruff’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodruff.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodruff’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.