Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Ephratah than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ephratah gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Ephratah 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
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 Ephratah’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ephratah, and Ephratah’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ephratah’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $651K a year in losses across Ephratah: $555K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ephratah flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ephratah. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Ephratah isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fulton County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ephratah
Disasters that paid out in Ephratah itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Ephratah), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$13K to the Town of Ephratah for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$392K to the Town of Ephratah for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$6K to the Town of Ephratah for repairs
Fulton County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Ephratah after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ephratah archive →Ephratah and its neighbors
Ephratah is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnstown | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Palatine | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Caroga | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Oppenheim | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ephratah | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Stratford | — | 769 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 Ephratah 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.
- 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 Ephratah
Is Ephratah at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ephratah has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Ephratah 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 Fulton County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Ephratah?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ephratah’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 Ephratah?
By FEMA money that reached Ephratah, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $392K to the Town of Ephratah for repairs.
Is Ephratah at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Ephratah’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ephratah.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ephratah’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.