Cottonwood River Bridge · Photo: Jstropes1990 · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Falls Township than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Falls Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then wildfire (15%). 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
What Falls 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
Wildfire
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 Falls Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Falls Township, and Falls Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 15%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Falls Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Falls Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Falls Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Falls Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Falls 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: Chase County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Falls Township
Disasters that paid out in Falls Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Falls Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$12K to Falls Township for repairs
Chase County has had 18 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 Falls Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Falls Township archive →Falls Township and its neighbors
Falls Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falls Township | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Bazaar Township | — | 66 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Toledo Township | — | 328 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Strong Township | — | 553 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Diamond Creek Township | — | 167 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cottonwood Township | — | 174 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 Falls 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.
- 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.
- 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 Falls Township
Is Falls Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Falls Township has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and wildfire (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.
Is Falls 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 Chase County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Falls Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Falls 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 Falls Township?
By FEMA money that reached Falls Township, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2008): $12K to Falls Township for repairs.
Is Falls Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Falls Township’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Falls Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Falls 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.