Photo: Bwsmith84. · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Belpre Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belpre Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #786 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2018.
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 Belpre 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 Belpre Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Belpre Township, and Belpre Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #786 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Belpre Township’s residents live in 2 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, Belpre Township has more expected damage per building than 79% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Belpre Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Belpre Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2018
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belpre Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Belpre 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belpre Township
Disasters that paid out in Belpre Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Belpre Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides$28K to Belpre Township for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2018Severe Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides$71K to Belpre Township for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$7K to Belpre Township for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$29K to Belpre Township for repairs
- 2003Severe Winter Storm and Record/near Record Snow$4K to Belpre Township for repairs
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 Belpre Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Belpre Township archive →Belpre Township and its neighbors
Belpre Township is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Belpre Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Dunham Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Belpre | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 91 |
| Troy Township | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 48 |
| Washington | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Belpre 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 Belpre Township
Is Belpre Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belpre Township has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #786 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Belpre Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Belpre Township since 2018, $83K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Belpre 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 Belpre Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Belpre 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 Belpre Township?
By FEMA money that reached Belpre Township, Severe Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides (2018): $71K to Belpre Township for repairs.
Is Belpre Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Belpre Township’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belpre Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Belpre 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.