Photo: Nyttend · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Benton Township
Benton Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Benton Township has 935 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1985.
What Benton 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
Hail
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 Benton Township flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Benton Township, from FEMA’s records.
Benton 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: Paulding County.The storms Benton Township remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Paulding County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Benton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19853 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20152 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20212 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Paulding County has had 9 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 Benton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Benton Township archive →Benton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tully Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Harrison Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Blue Creek Township | — | 579 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Jackson Township | — | 521 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 Benton 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Benton Township
Does Benton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Benton Township since 1985, $58K in all.
Is Benton 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 Paulding County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Benton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Benton Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Benton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Benton 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.