Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Colchester Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colchester Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hail (12%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Colchester 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
Hail
Tornadoes
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.
What’s behind Colchester Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Colchester Township, and Colchester Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 12%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Colchester Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $565K a year in losses across Colchester Township: $151K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Colchester Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Colchester Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Colchester 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: McDonough County.The storms Colchester Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for McDonough County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Colchester Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
McDonough County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Colchester Township and its neighbors
Colchester Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Chalmers Township | — | 532 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Tennessee Township | — | 381 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Emmet Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Hire Township | — | 110 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 Colchester 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Colchester Township
Is Colchester Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colchester Township has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hail (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Colchester 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 McDonough County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Colchester Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Colchester Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Colchester Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Colchester Township’s rate for it is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Colchester Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Colchester 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.