FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Medora Township than in 87% of U.S. towns, led by wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Medora Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (39%), then river and rain flooding (35%). 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 Medora 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 Medora Township’s grade
Wildfire is 39% of the building damage FEMA expects in Medora Township, and Medora Township’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 9%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Medora Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Medora Township: $916K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Medora Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Medora Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Medora 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 Medora Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Reno County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Medora Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Medora Township and its neighbors
Medora Township is 3rd of the 4 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 |
| Clay Township | Dmore damage than 86% | wildfire | 3 |
| Medora Township | Dmore damage than 87% | wildfire | 0 |
| Little River Township | Dmore damage than 87% | wildfire | 2 |
| Little Valley Township | — | 557 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 Medora 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 Medora Township
Is Medora Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Medora Township has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (39%) and river and rain flooding (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Medora 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 Medora Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Medora Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Medora Township at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (39%), and Medora Township’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Medora Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Medora 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.