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Plummer Mine HeadframePlummer Mine Headframe · Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Pence · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Pence

Pence isn’t graded for hazard risk: Pence has 184 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 9 declared for Iron County
By hazard

What Pence 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

90%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Lightning top 0% Hail Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Wildfire Coastal flooding Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesEarthquakesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 55% of Pence’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 Pence flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Pence isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Iron County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pence

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

  1. 2018Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$24K to the Town of Pence for repairs
  2. 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$35K to the Town of Pence for repairs
  3. 1999Wi-flood-07/20/99$6K to the Town of Pence for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PenceIron County only

Iron County has had 9 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Pence archive →
Next door

Pence and its neighbors

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

Carey: not gradedKnight: not gradedMontreal: not gradedKimball: not gradedIron Belt: not gradedCareyKnightMontrealKimballIron BeltPence
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Carey—291 residents; we grade 1,000+
Knight—161 residents; we grade 1,000+
Montreal—909 residents; we grade 1,000+
Kimball—580 residents; we grade 1,000+
Iron Belt—140 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 Pence 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 ↗
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 Pence

Is Pence 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 Iron County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Pence?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pence, Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes (2001): $35K to the Town of Pence for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pence.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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