Pleasant Township’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pleasant Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1997.
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 Pleasant Township 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 Pleasant Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pleasant Township, and Pleasant Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 17%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pleasant Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $618K a year in losses across Pleasant Township: $324K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pleasant Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pleasant Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pleasant Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Switzerland County.The storms Pleasant Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Switzerland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pleasant Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20222 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19971 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Switzerland County
Switzerland County has had 19 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.
Old photos of Pleasant Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pleasant Township archive →Pleasant Township and its neighbors
Pleasant Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Township | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Jefferson Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Cotton Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Shelby Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brown Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Craig Township | — | 529 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Pike Township | — | 365 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Milton Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Pleasant Township 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 Pleasant Township
Is Pleasant Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pleasant Township has higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (17%). 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 Pleasant Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Pleasant Township since 1997, $89K in all, or 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Pleasant Township 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 Switzerland County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pleasant Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pleasant Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pleasant Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Pleasant Township’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pleasant Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pleasant Township’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.