Photo: Roland Penttila · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Ashtabula Township
Ashtabula Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Ashtabula Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1978.
What Ashtabula 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.
Does Ashtabula Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ashtabula Township, from FEMA’s records.
Ashtabula 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: Ashtabula County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Ashtabula Township
Disasters that paid out in Ashtabula Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Ashtabula Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms, Straight Line Winds, and Flooding356 households applied for aid$216K aid approved
Ashtabula County has had 11 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.
Old photos of Ashtabula Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ashtabula Township archive →Ashtabula 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgewood | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Kingsville Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Saybrook Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Ashtabula | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Plymouth Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Ashtabula 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 Ashtabula Township
Does Ashtabula Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Ashtabula Township since 1978, $12K in all.
Is Ashtabula 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 Ashtabula County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ashtabula Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ashtabula 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 Ashtabula Township?
By FEMA money that reached Ashtabula Township, Severe Storms, Straight Line Winds, and Flooding (2006): 356 households applied for aid, $216K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ashtabula Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ashtabula 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.