Getty’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Getty comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Getty’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Getty flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Getty. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Getty isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Stearns County.How exposed is Getty?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 56% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 1,688 of the 2,631 Minnesota towns we cover.
Getty is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Getty faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Cold waves
Strong wind
Hail
1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Getty
Disasters that paid out in Getty itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Township of Getty) and its biggest flood years.
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$15K to the Township of Getty for repairs
Stearns County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Old photos of Getty after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Getty archive →Get ready for what Getty actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- 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.
Getty and its neighbors
Getty ranks 3rd calmest of 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getty | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
| Sauk Centre | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
| Raymond | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
| Grove | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
| Lake George | Low | inland flooding | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in March–May
The month each of Stearns County’s 11 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Getty’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Getty.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Getty.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.