Photo: Roseohioresident · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Canaan Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Canaan Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #346 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim 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 Canaan 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.
What’s behind Canaan Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Canaan Township, and Canaan Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).
A #346 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Canaan Township’s residents live in 3 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, Canaan Township has less expected damage per building than 65% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $955K a year in losses across Canaan Township: $786K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Canaan Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Canaan Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Canaan 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: Wayne County.The storms Canaan Township remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Wayne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Canaan Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Wayne County has had 7 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 Canaan Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Canaan Township archive →Canaan Township and its neighbors
Canaan Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westfield Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Wayne Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Congress Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Canaan Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Milton Township | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Burbank | — | 334 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 Canaan 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 Canaan Township
Is Canaan Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Canaan Township has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #346 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and tornadoes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Canaan Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Canaan Township since 1979, $10K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Canaan 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 Wayne County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Canaan Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Canaan Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Canaan Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Canaan Township’s rate for it is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Canaan Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Canaan 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.