FEMA puts Niles Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Niles Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1983.
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 Niles 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 Niles Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Niles Township, and Niles Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Niles Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $449K a year in losses across Niles Township: $370K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Niles Township flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Niles Township, from FEMA’s records: 33.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Niles 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: Delaware County.The storms Niles Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Delaware County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Niles Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20055 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, declared for Delaware County
- 20115 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19924 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Delaware County
Delaware County has had 15 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 Niles Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Niles Township archive →Niles Township and its neighbors
Niles Township is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunkirk | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Richland Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Jackson Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Union Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Delaware Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Niles Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
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 Niles 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 Niles Township
Is Niles Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Niles Township has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (8%). 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 Niles Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Niles Township since 1983, $328K in all, or 33.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Niles 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 Delaware County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Niles Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Niles Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Niles Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Niles Township’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Niles Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Niles 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.