Photo: Garrison Point · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Pleasant Prairie than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pleasant Prairie gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #22 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), then tornadoes (21%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 2009.
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 Pleasant 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
Tornadoes
Hail
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 Pleasant Prairie’s grade
River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pleasant Prairie, and Pleasant Prairie’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts. Lightning adds 4%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #22 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pleasant Prairie’s residents live in 11 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pleasant Prairie has less expected damage per building than 94% of Wisconsin towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.8M a year in losses across Pleasant Prairie: $4.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pleasant Prairie flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pleasant Prairie, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pleasant 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: Kenosha County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pleasant Prairie
Disasters that paid out in Pleasant Prairie itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Pleasant Prairie), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$358K to the Village of Pleasant Prairie for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$93K to the Village of Pleasant Prairie for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$14K to the Village of Pleasant Prairie for repairs
- 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$65K to the Village of Pleasant Prairie for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$34K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding15 households applied for aid$26K aid approved$50K to the Village of Pleasant Prairie for repairs
Show all 8
- 2000Snow$32K to the Village of Pleasant Prairie for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$91K to the Village of Pleasant Prairie for repairs
Kenosha County has had 13 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.
Old photos of Pleasant Prairie after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pleasant Prairie archive →Pleasant Prairie and its neighbors
Pleasant Prairie is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenosha | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Bristol | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pleasant Prairie | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Winthrop Harbor | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Benton Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
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 Pleasant 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Pleasant Prairie
Is Pleasant Prairie at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pleasant Prairie has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #22 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) and tornadoes (21%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pleasant Prairie flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Pleasant Prairie since 2009, $232K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Pleasant 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 Kenosha County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pleasant Prairie?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pleasant 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 Pleasant Prairie?
By FEMA money that reached Pleasant Prairie, Severe Winter Storm and Flooding (2020): $358K to the Village of Pleasant Prairie for repairs.
Is Pleasant Prairie at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Pleasant Prairie’s rate for it is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pleasant Prairie.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pleasant 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.