Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0For wildfire, Prineville’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Prineville gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #26 of 142 in Oregon. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then wildfire (22%). Flood insurance has paid 37 claims here since 1998.
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 stands out about Prineville’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Prineville 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
Wildfire
Earthquakes
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 Prineville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Prineville, and Prineville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 22%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #26 of 142 in Oregon; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Prineville’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Oregon town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Prineville has less expected damage per building than 82% of Oregon towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.1M a year in losses across Prineville: $3.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Prineville flood? Sometimes: 37 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Prineville, from FEMA’s records: 7.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Prineville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Crook County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Prineville
Disasters that paid out in Prineville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Prineville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Severe Winter Storms$12K to the City of Prineville for repairs
Crook County has had 6 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.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Crook County, 2024–2026.
Old photos of Prineville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Prineville archive →Prineville and its neighbors
Prineville has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prineville | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Juniper Canyon | C+more damage than 65% | wildfire | — |
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 Prineville 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Prineville
Is Prineville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Prineville has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #26 of 142 in Oregon. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and wildfire (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Prineville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 37 claims in Prineville since 1998, $352K in all, or 7.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Prineville 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 Crook County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Prineville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Prineville’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 Prineville?
By FEMA money that reached Prineville, Severe Winter Storms (2003): $12K to the City of Prineville for repairs.
Is Prineville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Prineville’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Prineville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Prineville’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.