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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Dell Prairie · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Dell Prairie faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dell Prairie gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then hail (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 71%Hail 14%Tornadoes 12%

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

more than 52%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Wisconsin · higher than 52% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
71% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 9 declared for Adams County
By hazard

What Dell 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

71%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hail

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Wildfire Lightning Hurricanes Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 24% of Dell Prairie’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Dell Prairie’s grade

River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dell Prairie, and Dell Prairie’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 14%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Dell Prairie sits
Dell Prairie
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Dell Prairie’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding71%Hail14%Tornadoes12%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Dell Prairie: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Dell Prairie’s 1,631 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Jackson town (1,141 residents) and New Haven town (680 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Dell Prairie flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Dell Prairie. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Dell 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: Adams County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dell Prairie

Disasters that paid out in Dell Prairie itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Dell Prairie), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides$20K to the Town of Dell Prairie for repairs
  2. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$9K to the Town of Dell Prairie for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$12K to the Town of Dell Prairie for repairs
  4. 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$15K to the Town of Dell Prairie for repairs
  5. 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$14K to the Town of Dell Prairie for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Dell PrairieAdams County only

Adams County has had 9 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 Dell Prairie after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Dell Prairie archive →
Next door

Dell Prairie and its neighbors

Dell Prairie has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Wisconsin Dells: hazard risk C−Lyndon: hazard risk B−New Haven: not gradedSpringville: hazard risk CKildare: not gradedNewport: not gradedWisconsin DellsLyndonNew HavenSpringvilleKildareNewportDell Prairie
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Dell PrairieB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding0
LyndonB−more damage than 53%river and rain flooding—
SpringvilleCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding—
Wisconsin DellsC−more damage than 82%hail—
New Haven—851 residents; we grade 1,000+
Kildare—689 residents; we grade 1,000+
Newport—597 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 Dell 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.

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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Dell Prairie

Is Dell Prairie at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dell Prairie has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and hail (14%). 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 Dell 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 Adams 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 Dell Prairie?

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

By FEMA money that reached Dell Prairie, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides (2018): $20K to the Town of Dell Prairie for repairs.

Is Dell Prairie at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Dell Prairie’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dell Prairie.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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