Papinville Marais des Cygnes River Bridge · Photo: John LaRoe · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Prairie Township
Prairie Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Prairie Township has 60 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Prairie 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
Hail
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 Prairie Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Prairie Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Prairie 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: Bates County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Prairie Township
Disasters that paid out in Prairie Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Prairie Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$21K to Prairie Township for repairs
Bates County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Prairie Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Prairie Township archive →Prairie Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osage Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Blue Mound Township | — | 301 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Pleasant Gap Township | — | 214 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Rockville Township | — | 173 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.
Get ready for what Prairie 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Prairie Township
Is Prairie 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 Bates County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Prairie Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Prairie Township’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 Prairie Township?
By FEMA money that reached Prairie Township, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2015): $21K to Prairie Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Prairie Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Prairie 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.