Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Pilot Knob
Pilot Knob isn’t graded for hazard risk: Pilot Knob has 653 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2009.
What Pilot Knob 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
Earthquakes
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.
Does Pilot Knob flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pilot Knob, from FEMA’s records.
Pilot Knob isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Iron County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pilot Knob
Disasters that paid out in Pilot Knob itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Pilot Knob), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$14K to the City of Pilot Knob for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$5K to the City of Pilot Knob for repairs
Iron County has had 22 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 Pilot Knob after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pilot Knob archive →Pilot Knob and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ironton | D−more damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
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 Pilot Knob 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Pilot Knob
Does Pilot Knob flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Pilot Knob since 2009, $554 in all.
Is Pilot Knob 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 Iron County, 3% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pilot Knob?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pilot Knob’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 Pilot Knob?
By FEMA money that reached Pilot Knob, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2009): 4 households applied for aid, $1K approved, and $14K to the City of Pilot Knob for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pilot Knob.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pilot Knob’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.