Photo: Praiawart · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Wyocena’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from hail
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wyocena gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hail (52%), then river and rain flooding (41%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2008.
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 Wyocena faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hail
River and rain flooding
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 Wyocena’s grade
Hail is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wyocena, and Wyocena’s rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 41% (higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts).
D higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wyocena’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Wyocena: $901K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wyocena flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wyocena, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Wyocena isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Columbia County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wyocena
Disasters that paid out in Wyocena itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Wyocena), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$29K to the Town of Wyocena for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2000Snow$2K to the Town of Wyocena for repairs
Columbia County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Wyocena after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wyocena archive →Wyocena and its neighbors
Wyocena is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Wyocena faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Wyocena
Is Wyocena at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wyocena has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hail (52%) and river and rain flooding (41%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wyocena flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Wyocena since 2008, $4K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Wyocena 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 Columbia County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wyocena?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wyocena’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 Wyocena?
By FEMA money that reached Wyocena, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): $29K to the Town of Wyocena for repairs.
Is Wyocena at risk from hail?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Wyocena’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wyocena.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wyocena’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.