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Prairie du SacPhoto: Edit6212 · CC BY-SA 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Prairie du Sac · FEMA

FEMA puts Prairie du Sac’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Prairie du Sac gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #334 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 80%Tornadoes 9%Hail 9%

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 61%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#334 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
C+#334 of 362
in Wisconsin · higher than 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 12 declared for Sauk County
By hazard

What Prairie du Sac 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

80%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning top 2% Earthquakes Hurricanes Wildfire 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 20% of Prairie du Sac’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 Prairie du Sac’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Prairie du Sac, and Prairie du Sac’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 9%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Prairie du Sac sits
Prairie du Sac
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #334 of 362 in Wisconsin; higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Prairie du Sac’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 flooding80%Tornadoes9%Hail9%Everything else2%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Prairie du Sac has more expected damage per building than 92% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Prairie du Sac: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Prairie du Sac 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 Prairie du Sac flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Prairie du Sac. 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

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

Insurance rates: Sauk County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Prairie du Sac

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding9 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding19 households applied for aid$38K aid approved$11K to the Village of Prairie du Sac for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding14 households applied for aid$23K aid approved$2K to the Village of Prairie du Sac for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$422 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Prairie du SacSauk County only

Sauk 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 Prairie du Sac after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Prairie du Sac archive →
Next door

Prairie du Sac and its neighbors

Prairie du Sac is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Prairie du Sac: hazard risk CRoxbury: hazard risk B+West Point: hazard risk DLake Wisconsin: not gradedPrairie du SacRoxburyWest PointLake WisconsinPrairie du Sac
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RoxburyB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding—
Prairie du SacC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding0
Prairie du SacCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding—
West PointDmore damage than 92%river and rain flooding9
Lake Wisconsin—a Census area inside a town; graded with the town

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 Prairie du Sac 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Prairie du Sac

Is Prairie du Sac at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Prairie du Sac has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #334 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Prairie du Sac 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 Sauk County, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Prairie du Sac?

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

By FEMA money that reached Prairie du Sac, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 19 households applied for aid, $38K approved, and $11K to the Village of Prairie du Sac for repairs.

Is Prairie du Sac at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Prairie du Sac’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Prairie du Sac.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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