Gilmer Township’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gilmer Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1979.
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 Gilmer 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
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 Gilmer Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gilmer Township, and Gilmer Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Gilmer Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $485K a year in losses across Gilmer Township: $235K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gilmer Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gilmer Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Gilmer 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: Adams County.The storms Gilmer Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Adams County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Gilmer Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Adams County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Gilmer Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gilmer Township archive →Gilmer Township and its neighbors
Gilmer Township is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellington Township | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Gilmer Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Burton Township | — | 627 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Columbus Township | — | 852 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Honey Creek Township | — | 757 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Fowler | — | 32 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 Gilmer 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.
- 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 Gilmer Township
Is Gilmer Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gilmer Township has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and tornadoes (8%). 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 Gilmer Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Gilmer Township since 1979, $302 in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Gilmer 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 Adams County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gilmer Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gilmer Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Gilmer Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Gilmer Township’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gilmer Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gilmer 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.