Photo: Jaknouse · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Canaan 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, Canaan Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1998.
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
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 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Canaan Township, and Canaan Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Canaan Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $513K a year in losses across Canaan Township: $442K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Canaan Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Canaan Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Late winter storms1 claim · $6K
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: Athens County.The storms Canaan Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Athens County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Canaan Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19981 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Athens County
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Athens County
Athens 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.
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 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lodi Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Canaan Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Athens Township | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Rome Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ames Township | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
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.
- 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 higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Canaan Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Canaan Township since 1998, $9K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Late winter storms (1).
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 Athens County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% 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.
What was the biggest storm in Canaan Township?
By flood claims, Late winter storms: 1 paid, $6K.
Is Canaan Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Canaan Township’s rate for it is higher than 78% 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.