On FEMA’s figures, The Plains faces less hazard damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Plains gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #547 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 The Plains 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.
What’s behind The Plains’ grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in The Plains, and The Plains’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #547 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of The Plains’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, The Plains has more expected damage per building than 55% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $710K a year in losses across The Plains: $588K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does The Plains flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in The Plains. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
The Plains isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Athens County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to The Plains
Disasters that paid out in The Plains itself (aid to households or repair grants to The Plains), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Athens 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.
Old photos of The Plains after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the The Plains archive →Get ready for what The Plains 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 The Plains
Is The Plains at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Plains has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #547 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is The Plains 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 Athens County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in The Plains?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for The Plains’ 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 The Plains?
By FEMA money that reached The Plains, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): 4 households applied for aid, $5K approved.
Is The Plains at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and The Plains’ rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in The Plains.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where The Plains’ 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.