Photo: Bwsmith84 · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Adams Township faces more hazard damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Adams Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 62 claims here since 1979.
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 Adams 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
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 Adams Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Adams Township, and Adams Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Adams Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $838K a year in losses across Adams Township: $743K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Adams Township flood? Sometimes: 62 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Adams Township, from FEMA’s records: 80.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan24 claims · $516K
Adams 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: Washington County.The storms Adams Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Adams Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200433 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Washington County
- 199813 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Washington County
- 20058 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Washington County has had 16 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 Adams Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Adams Township archive →Adams Township and its neighbors
Adams Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muskingum Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| Watertown Township | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Waterford Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Salem Township | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Adams Township | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
| Jackson Township | — | 326 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 Adams 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.
- 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 Adams Township
Is Adams Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Adams Township has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Adams Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 62 claims in Adams Township since 1979, $887K in all, or 80.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (24).
Is Adams 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 Washington County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Adams Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Adams 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 Adams Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 24 paid, $516K.
Is Adams Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Adams Township’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Adams Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Adams 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.