Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Centralia Township
Centralia Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Centralia Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1990.
What Centralia Township 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
Earthquakes
Strong wind
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 Centralia Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1990
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Centralia Township, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-spring storms2 claims · $10K
- The March storm1 claim · $6K
Centralia Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Marion County.The storms Centralia Township remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Marion County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Centralia Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Marion County
- 19901 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Marion County
- 20081 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Marion County has had 5 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Centralia Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Centralia Township archive →Centralia Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raccoon Township | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Centralia | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Sandoval Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brookside Township | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Irvington Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Grand Prairie Township | — | 988 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Wamac | — | 804 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 Centralia Township 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Centralia Township
Does Centralia Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Centralia Township since 1990, $28K in all. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (2).
Is Centralia Township 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 Marion County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Centralia Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Centralia Township’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 Centralia Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 2 paid, $10K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Centralia Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Centralia Township’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.