Storms, floods and disasters in Espelie Township
Espelie Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Espelie Township has 26 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Espelie 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
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.
Does Espelie Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Espelie Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Espelie 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: Marshall County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Espelie Township
Disasters that paid out in Espelie Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Espelie Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$31K to Espelie Township for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding$11K to Espelie Township for repairs
- 1999Severe Ice Storm and Flooding$5K to Espelie Township for repairs
Marshall County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Espelie Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Espelie Township archive →Espelie Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Township | — | 101 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Valley Township | — | 128 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Moylan Township | — | 104 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Reiner Township | — | 127 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Benville Township | — | 67 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 Espelie 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.
- 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 Espelie Township
Is Espelie 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 Marshall County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Espelie Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Espelie 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 Espelie Township?
By FEMA money that reached Espelie Township, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2022): $31K to Espelie Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Espelie Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Espelie 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.