Photo: Fwgoebel · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Lake Pleasant
Lake Pleasant isn’t graded for hazard risk: Lake Pleasant has 863 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Lake Pleasant 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
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 Lake Pleasant flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Lake Pleasant. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Lake Pleasant isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hamilton County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lake Pleasant
Disasters that paid out in Lake Pleasant itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Lake Pleasant), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$781K to the Town of Lake Pleasant for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the Town of Lake Pleasant for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$8K to the Town of Lake Pleasant for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$45K to the Town of Lake Pleasant for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the Town of Lake Pleasant for repairs
Hamilton County has had 12 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; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Lake Pleasant after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lake Pleasant archive →Lake Pleasant 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Lake | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Wells | — | 671 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Arietta | — | 264 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Speculator | — | 409 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 Lake Pleasant 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.
- 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 Lake Pleasant
Is Lake Pleasant 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 Hamilton County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Lake Pleasant?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake Pleasant’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 Lake Pleasant?
By FEMA money that reached Lake Pleasant, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $781K to the Town of Lake Pleasant for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Pleasant.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lake Pleasant’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.