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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pigeon · FEMA

FEMA puts Pigeon’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pigeon gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2010.

River and rain flooding 88%Tornadoes 5%Hail 4%

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 81%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Wisconsin · higher than 81% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2010 · $3K
Disasters paid out here
1
of 12 declared for Trempealeau County
By hazard

What Pigeon 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

88%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Lightning top 1% Winter storms Earthquakes Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves 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 14% of Pigeon’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 Pigeon’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pigeon, and Pigeon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 5% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Pigeon sits
Pigeon
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Pigeon’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Tornadoes5%Hail4%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $767K a year in losses across Pigeon: $540K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Pigeon covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Pigeon flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2010

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pigeon, from FEMA’s records: 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20102015
20102026
2
paid claims since 2010
$3K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Trempealeau County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Pigeon

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

  1. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Town of Pigeon for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PigeonTrempealeau County only

Trempealeau County has had 12 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 Pigeon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Pigeon archive →
Next door

Pigeon and its neighbors

Pigeon is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hale: hazard risk CCurran: not gradedLincoln: not gradedPreston: not gradedNorthfield: not gradedHaleCurranLincolnPrestonNorthfieldPigeon
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HaleCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding4
PigeonC−more damage than 81%river and rain flooding2
Curran—460 residents; we grade 1,000+
Lincoln—707 residents; we grade 1,000+
Preston—868 residents; we grade 1,000+
Northfield—587 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 Pigeon 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 Pigeon

Is Pigeon at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pigeon has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and tornadoes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Pigeon flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Pigeon since 2010, $3K in all, or 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Pigeon 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 Trempealeau County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pigeon?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pigeon, Severe Storms and Flooding (2010): $10K to the Town of Pigeon for repairs.

Is Pigeon at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Pigeon’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pigeon.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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