More hazard damage per building is expected in Clay Township than in 86% of U.S. towns, led by wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clay Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (38%), then river and rain flooding (36%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2013.
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 Clay Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Ice storms
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 Clay Township’s grade
Wildfire is 38% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clay Township, and Clay Township’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 10%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Clay Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Clay Township: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Clay Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clay Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Clay 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: Reno County.The storms Clay Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Reno County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Clay Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20132 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Reno County
- 20191 flood claims paidThe year of Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Reno County
Reno County has had 17 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.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Reno County, 2006–2022.
Old photos of Clay Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Clay Township archive →Clay Township and its neighbors
Clay Township is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reno Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Hutchinson | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Clay Township | Dmore damage than 86% | wildfire | 3 |
| Medora Township | Dmore damage than 87% | wildfire | — |
| Little River Township | Dmore damage than 87% | wildfire | 2 |
| Yoder Township | — | 385 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Valley Township | — | 982 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 Clay 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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 Clay Township
Is Clay Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clay Township has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (38%) and river and rain flooding (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Clay Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Clay Township since 2013, $7K in all, or 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Clay 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 Reno County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Clay Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clay Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Clay Township at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (38%), and Clay Township’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clay Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clay 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.