FEMA puts Fords Prairie’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fords Prairie gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then earthquakes (45%). Flood insurance has paid 94 claims here since 1990.
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 Fords Prairie 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
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 Fords Prairie’s grade
River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fords Prairie, and Fords Prairie’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 45%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fords Prairie’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Fords Prairie: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fords Prairie flood? Sometimes: 94 flood claims since 1990
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fords Prairie, from FEMA’s records: 107.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Winter storm51 claims · $2.3M
Fords Prairie isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lewis County.The storms Fords Prairie remembers
None of the 33 disasters declared for Lewis County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fords Prairie itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200751 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Lewis County
- 199630 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Land and Muds Slides,flooding, declared for Lewis County
- 19906 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and High Tides, declared for Lewis County
Lewis County has had 33 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 Fords Prairie after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fords Prairie archive →Fords Prairie and its neighbors
Fords Prairie has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fords Prairie | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 94 |
| Grand Mound | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Centralia | Dmore damage than 94% | earthquakes | 698 |
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 Fords Prairie 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.
- 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 Fords Prairie
Is Fords Prairie at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fords Prairie has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and earthquakes (45%). 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.
Does Fords Prairie flood?
Flood insurance has paid 94 claims in Fords Prairie since 1990, $3.5M in all, or 107.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Winter storm (51).
Is Fords Prairie 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 Lewis County, 2.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Fords Prairie?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fords Prairie’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 Fords Prairie?
By flood claims, Winter storm: 51 paid, $2.3M.
Is Fords Prairie at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Fords Prairie’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fords Prairie.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fords Prairie’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.