FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Selby Township than in 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Selby Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then tornadoes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 22 claims 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 stands out about Selby Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Selby 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
Earthquakes
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 Selby Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Selby Township, and Selby Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 18%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Selby Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Selby Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Selby Township flood? Sometimes: 22 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Selby Township, from FEMA’s records: 23.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms12 claims · $79K
Selby 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: Bureau County.The storms Selby Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Bureau County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Selby Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201312 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, declared for Bureau County
- 19793 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Bureau County
- 20202 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Bureau County has had 14 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.
Old photos of Selby Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Selby Township archive →Selby Township and its neighbors
Selby Township is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hall Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| De Pue | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Selby Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Princeton Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Berlin Township | — | 761 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Leepertown Township | — | 307 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 Selby 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Selby Township
Is Selby Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Selby Township has lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and tornadoes (18%). 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 Selby Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 22 claims in Selby Township since 1979, $112K in all, or 23.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (12).
Is Selby 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 Bureau County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Selby Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Selby 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 Selby Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 12 paid, $79K.
Is Selby Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Selby Township’s rate for it is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Selby Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Selby 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.