Harbach, Gerald, Round Barn · Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY 2.5Less hazard damage per building is expected in Harlem Township than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harlem Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (13%). 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 Harlem 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
Hail
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 Harlem Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harlem Township, and Harlem Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 5%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Harlem Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Harlem Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Harlem Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Harlem Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Harlem 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: Stephenson County.The storms Harlem Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Stephenson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Harlem Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Stephenson County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Harlem Township and its neighbors
Harlem Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckeye Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Harlem Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Florence Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Lancaster Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Freeport | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 73 |
| Freeport Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Erin Township | — | 423 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Waddams Township | — | 519 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 Harlem 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.
- 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.
- 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 Harlem Township
Is Harlem Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harlem Township has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Harlem 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 Stephenson County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Harlem Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Harlem Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Harlem Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Harlem Township’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harlem Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Harlem 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.