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BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Harrison Township · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Harrison Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harrison Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then earthquakes (30%). 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

less than 55%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
By hazard

What Harrison 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

57%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

30%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves top 4% Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 13% of Harrison Township’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Harrison Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harrison Township, and Harrison Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 30% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Harrison Township sits
Harrison Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Harrison Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding57%Earthquakes30%Tornadoes7%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Harrison Township: $713K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Harrison Township covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Harrison Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Harrison Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Harrison 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: Knox County.
Disasters

The storms Harrison Township remembers

None of the 15 disasters declared for Knox County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Harrison Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Harrison TownshipKnox County only

Knox County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Next door

Harrison Township and its neighbors

Harrison Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Harrison TownshipBless damage than 55%river and rain flooding0
Veale TownshipB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding2
Palmyra TownshipB−less damage than 50%river and rain flooding6
Washington TownshipB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding—
Johnson TownshipB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding8
Washington TownshipB−more damage than 55%river and rain flooding1
Madison Township—539 residents; we grade 1,000+
Clay Township—159 residents; we grade 1,000+
Steen Township—672 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Harrison 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Harrison Township

Is Harrison Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harrison Township has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and earthquakes (30%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Harrison 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 Knox County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Harrison Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Harrison Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Harrison Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Harrison Township’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harrison Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Harrison 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.