Main Street Building, United Church of Ovid · Photo: GPWITT · CC BY-SA 3.0For strong wind, Ovid’s building-damage rate is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ovid gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1981.
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 Ovid 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
Strong wind
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 Ovid’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ovid, and Ovid’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ovid’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $513K a year in losses across Ovid: $351K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ovid flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ovid, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ovid isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clinton County.The storms Ovid remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Clinton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ovid itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Clinton County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Ovid after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ovid archive →Ovid and its neighbors
Ovid is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlebury Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ovid Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Ovid | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Ovid 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Ovid
Is Ovid at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ovid has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) 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 Ovid flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Ovid since 1981, $4K in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ovid 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 Clinton County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ovid?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ovid’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ovid at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Ovid’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ovid.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ovid’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.