Natural hazards · Prairie

Prairie, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Prairie comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1979.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Prairie?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Prairie to be higher than in 28% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding56%Cold waves17%Heat waves10%Tornadoes9%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Prairie faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

56% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Cold waves

17% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Heat waves

10% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 36% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Prairie flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Prairie, from FEMA’s records.

7paid claims since 1979

$12Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. 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: Franklin County.

Disasters that hit Prairie

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Franklin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Prairie itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into PrairieDeclared for Franklin County only

Franklin County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Prairie

Prairie and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lake Darbymostly inland floodingHigh

Brownmostly inland floodingModerate

Jeffersonmostly inland floodingLow

Columbusmostly inland floodingLow

Pleasantmostly inland floodingLow

Prairiemostly inland floodingLow

Franklinmostly inland floodingLow

Norwichmostly inland floodingLow

West Jeffersonmostly inland floodingLow

Jacksonmostly inland floodingVery low

Lincoln Villagemostly inland floodingVery low

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Prairie covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Prairie’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Prairie. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Prairie total about $5.5M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.