Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0For strong wind, Prescott’s building-damage rate is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Prescott gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #269 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 1993.
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 Prescott 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
Strong wind
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 Prescott’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Prescott, and Prescott’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 16%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B #269 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Prescott’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Prescott has more expected damage per building than 74% of Wisconsin towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Prescott: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Prescott flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Prescott, from FEMA’s records: 10.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Severe flooding9 claims · $78K
Prescott isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pierce County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Prescott
Disasters that paid out in Prescott itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Prescott), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$35K to the City of Prescott for repairs9 flood claims paid that year
Pierce County has had 10 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 Prescott after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Prescott archive →Prescott and its neighbors
Prescott is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Prescott | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Oak Grove | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Denmark Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Ravenna Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Prescott 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Prescott
Is Prescott at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Prescott has lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #269 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and tornadoes (16%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Prescott flood?
Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Prescott since 1993, $199K in all, or 10.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Severe flooding (9).
Is Prescott 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 Pierce County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Prescott?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Prescott’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 Prescott?
By FEMA money that reached Prescott, Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes (2001): $35K to the City of Prescott for repairs. By flood claims, Severe flooding: 9 paid, $78K.
Is Prescott at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Prescott’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Prescott.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Prescott’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.