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DowntownBlockPrestonMNPhoto: Jonathunder · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Preston Township · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Preston Township

Preston Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Preston Township has 280 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 1980.

Flood claims
24
paid since 1980 · $105K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 15 declared for Fillmore County
By hazard

What Preston 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

90%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Lightning top 5% Winter storms Ice storms Earthquakes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 8% of Preston Township’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Preston Township flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Preston Township, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 1 claim1981: 7 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 5 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 10 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198120002008
19802026
24
paid claims since 1980
$105K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Preston 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: Fillmore County.
Disasters

The storms Preston Township remembers

None of the 15 disasters declared for Fillmore County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Preston Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 200810 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Fillmore County
  2. 19817 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  3. 20005 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Fillmore County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Preston TownshipFillmore County only

Fillmore County has had 15 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Preston Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Preston Township archive →
Next door

Preston Township and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
PrestonDmore damage than 88%river and rain flooding26
Carrolton Township—422 residents; we grade 1,000+
Amherst Township—400 residents; we grade 1,000+
Harmony Township—323 residents; we grade 1,000+
Carimona Township—289 residents; we grade 1,000+

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Preston 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Preston Township

Does Preston Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Preston Township since 1980, $105K in all.

Is Preston 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 Fillmore County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Preston Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Preston Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Preston Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Preston 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.