Photo: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Amherst Township than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Amherst Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #520 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). 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 Amherst 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
Tornadoes
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 Amherst Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Amherst Township, and Amherst Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 9% (higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #520 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Amherst Township’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Amherst Township has more expected damage per building than 52% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Amherst Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Amherst Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Amherst Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Amherst 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: Lorain County.The storms Amherst Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Lorain County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Amherst Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Lorain County has had 15 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.
Amherst Township and its neighbors
Amherst Township is 7th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elyria Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| South Amherst | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| New Russia Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Lorain | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
| Amherst | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Brownhelm Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 46 |
| Amherst Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Elyria | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
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 Amherst 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.
- 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.
- 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 Amherst Township
Is Amherst Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Amherst Township has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #520 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and tornadoes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Amherst 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 Lorain County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Amherst Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Amherst Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Amherst Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Amherst Township’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Amherst Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Amherst 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.