Waterbury, NE
Waterbury, NE's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Waterbury sits at the 67th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 70 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Waterbury's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 58th percentile nationally.
Waterbury's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 71.4% of Waterbury's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 28.6% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
Waterbury against the rest of the country
Waterbury's risk sits at a similar level relative to Nebraska (62nd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (67th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Waterbury ranks 10,500 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,288 by building count (1 is largest). Within Nebraska alone, it ranks 221 of 583 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Nebraska on its state page.
Waterbury and the insurance market
At the 67th percentile nationally, Waterbury carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Even with 71.4% of Waterbury outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Waterbury's figures come from
Waterbury's 67th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Waterbury's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.