Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Big Stone City
Big Stone City isn’t graded for hazard risk: Big Stone City has 706 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1997.
What Big Stone City 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.
Does Big Stone City flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Big Stone City, from FEMA’s records.
- The Severe flooding2 claims · $4K
Big Stone City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Grant County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Big Stone City
Disasters that paid out in Big Stone City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Big Stone City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$40K to the City of Big Stone City for repairs
- 2010Flooding$8K to the City of Big Stone City for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$1K to the City of Big Stone City for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Grant County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Big Stone City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Big Stone City archive →Big Stone City 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortonville | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Big Stone Township | — | 426 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 Big Stone City 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 Big Stone City
Does Big Stone City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Big Stone City since 1997, $66K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Severe flooding (2).
Is Big Stone City 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 Grant County, 3% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Big Stone City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Big Stone City’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 Big Stone City?
By FEMA money that reached Big Stone City, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2013): $40K to the City of Big Stone City for repairs. By flood claims, Severe flooding: 2 paid, $4K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Big Stone City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Big Stone City’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.