On FEMA’s figures, Prairie Township faces less hazard damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Prairie Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #522 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1979.
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 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
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 Prairie Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Prairie Township, and Prairie Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #522 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Prairie Township’s residents live in 13 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Prairie Township has more expected damage per building than 53% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Prairie Township: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Prairie Township flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Prairie Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
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: Franklin County.The storms Prairie Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Franklin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Prairie Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19793 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20202 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Franklin County has had 17 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
Prairie Township is 4th of the 11 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Village | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Franklin Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Jackson Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Prairie Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Norwich Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Pleasant Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Columbus | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 429 |
| Jefferson Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| West Jefferson | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brown Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lake Darby | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
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.
- 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 at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Prairie Township has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #522 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Prairie Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Prairie Township since 1979, $12K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
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 Franklin County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% 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.
Is Prairie Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Prairie Township’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
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.