Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Ervin Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ervin Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1982.
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 Ervin 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
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 Ervin Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ervin Township, and Ervin Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 14% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).
B lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ervin Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $726K a year in losses across Ervin Township: $503K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ervin Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ervin Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ervin 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: Howard County.The storms Ervin Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Howard County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ervin Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20031 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Howard County
- 20131 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Howard County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Ervin Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ervin Township archive →Ervin Township and its neighbors
Ervin Township is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Monroe Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ervin Township | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Burlington Township | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Carrollton Township | — | 692 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Deer Creek Township | — | 809 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 Ervin 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.
- 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 Ervin Township
Is Ervin Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ervin Township has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (14%). 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 Ervin Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Ervin Township since 1982, $37K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ervin 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 Howard County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ervin Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ervin Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ervin Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Ervin Township’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ervin Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ervin 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.