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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Prairie Center Township · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Prairie Center Township

Prairie Center Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Prairie Center Township has 25 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1997.

Flood claims
13
paid since 1997 · $214K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 20 declared for Spink County
By hazard

What Prairie Center 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

71%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Wildfire Ice storms Strong wind Earthquakes Winter storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves top 5% Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 26% of Prairie Center Township’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Prairie Center Township flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1997

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Prairie Center Township, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1997: 2 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 5 claims2011: 4 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199720102011
19972026
Biggest named events
  • The Late spring storms1 claim · $2K
13
paid claims since 1997
$214K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$16K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Prairie Center 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: Spink County.
Disasters

The storms Prairie Center Township remembers

None of the 20 disasters declared for Spink County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Prairie Center Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20105 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Spink County
  2. 20114 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Spink County
  3. 19972 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Flooding, Sever Winter Storms,heavy Rains High Winds, declared for Spink County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Prairie Center TownshipSpink County only

Spink County has had 20 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Prairie Center Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Prairie Center Township archive →
Next door

Prairie Center Township and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Sumner Township: not gradedBelle Plaine Township: not gradedDoland: not gradedSpring Township: not gradedHarmony Township: not gradedSumner TownshipBelle Plaine TownshipDolandSpring TownshipHarmony TownshipPrairie Center Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Sumner Township—10 residents; we grade 1,000+
Belle Plaine Township—60 residents; we grade 1,000+
Doland—209 residents; we grade 1,000+
Spring Township—50 residents; we grade 1,000+
Harmony Township—7 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Prairie Center 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Prairie Center Township

Does Prairie Center Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Prairie Center Township since 1997, $214K in all. The most claims came from Late spring storms (1).

Is Prairie Center 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 Spink 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 Prairie Center Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Prairie Center Township’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 Prairie Center Township?

By flood claims, Late spring storms: 1 paid, $2K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Prairie Center Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Prairie Center 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.