FEMA puts Walnut Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walnut Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then tornadoes (17%). 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 Walnut 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
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.
What’s behind Walnut Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Walnut Township, and Walnut Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Walnut Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Walnut Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Walnut Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Walnut Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Walnut 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Walnut Township
Disasters that paid out in Walnut Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Walnut Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$824 aid approved
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 Walnut Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Walnut Township archive →Walnut Township and its neighbors
Walnut 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Greenville Township | — | 524 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bureau Township | — | 344 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Ohio Township | — | 895 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 Walnut 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.
- 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 Walnut Township
Is Walnut Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walnut Township has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and tornadoes (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Walnut 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 Walnut Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Walnut 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 Walnut Township?
By FEMA money that reached Walnut Township, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2013): 2 households applied for aid, $824 approved.
Is Walnut Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Walnut Township’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Walnut Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Walnut 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.