Photo: AviationTraveler · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Prairie du Chien
Prairie du Chien isn’t graded for hazard risk: Prairie du Chien has 953 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1978.
What Prairie du Chien 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.
Does Prairie du Chien flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Prairie du Chien, from FEMA’s records.
- The Severe flooding4 claims · $95K
- The March 2019 Midwest Flooding1 claim · $4K
Prairie du Chien isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Crawford County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Prairie du Chien
Disasters that paid out in Prairie du Chien itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Prairie du Chien), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides$53K to the Town of Prairie du Chien for repairs
- 2017Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud$25K to the Town of Prairie du Chien for repairs
- 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$58K to the Town of Prairie du Chien for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$402K to the Town of Prairie du Chien for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$51K to the Town of Prairie du Chien for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Prairie du Chien for repairs
Show all 9
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$222K to the Town of Prairie du Chien for repairs
- 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$45K to the Town of Prairie du Chien for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
- 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$15K to the Town of Prairie du Chien for repairs
Crawford County has had 19 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 Prairie du Chien after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Prairie du Chien archive →Prairie du Chien and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie du Chien | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| Bridgeport | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Eastman | — | 616 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Wauzeka | — | 441 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.
Get ready for what Prairie du Chien 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 Prairie du Chien
Does Prairie du Chien flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Prairie du Chien since 1978, $150K in all. The most claims came from Severe flooding (4).
Is Prairie du Chien 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 Crawford County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Prairie du Chien?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Prairie du Chien’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 Prairie du Chien?
By FEMA money that reached Prairie du Chien, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2013): $402K to the Town of Prairie du Chien for repairs. By flood claims, Severe flooding: 4 paid, $95K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Prairie du Chien.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Prairie du Chien’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.