Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Heth Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Heth Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2011.
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 Heth 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
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 Heth Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Heth Township, and Heth Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Heth Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $590K a year in losses across Heth Township: $371K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Heth Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Heth Township, from FEMA’s records: 13.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Central U.S. April Flooding2 claims · $130K
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $6K
Heth 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: Harrison County.The storms Heth Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Harrison County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Heth Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20253 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Harrison County
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and, declared for Harrison County
- 20181 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Harrison County
Harrison County has had 19 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.
Old photos of Heth Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Heth Township archive →Heth Township and its neighbors
Heth Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heth Township | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Boone Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Harrison Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Washington Township | — | 541 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 Heth 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.
- 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 Heth Township
Is Heth Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Heth Township has higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and tornadoes (15%). 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 Heth Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Heth Township since 2011, $156K in all, or 13.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Central U.S. April Flooding (2).
Is Heth 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 Harrison County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Heth Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Heth 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 Heth Township?
By flood claims, Central U.S. April Flooding: 2 paid, $130K.
Is Heth Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Heth Township’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Heth Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Heth 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.