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Chagrin Falls, OhioPhoto: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Chagrin Falls · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Chagrin Falls as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chagrin Falls gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #854 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1989.

River and rain flooding 93%Tornadoes 6%

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

more than 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#854 of 993 in Ohio
Hazard risk
C+#854 of 993
in Ohio · higher than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
93% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 1989 · $371K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 15 declared for Cuyahoga County
By hazard

What Chagrin Falls 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

93%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Winter storms Ice storms Hurricanes Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Chagrin Falls’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Chagrin Falls’ grade

River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chagrin Falls, and Chagrin Falls’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Chagrin Falls sits
Chagrin Falls
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #854 of 993 in Ohio; higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Chagrin Falls’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding93%Tornadoes6%Everything else2%

The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Chagrin Falls has more expected damage per building than 86% of Ohio towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Chagrin Falls: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Chagrin Falls’ 4,188 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Chagrin Falls township (4,317 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Chagrin Falls flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1989

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chagrin Falls, from FEMA’s records: 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 2 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims198919942006
19892026
7
paid claims since 1989
$371K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$53K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Chagrin Falls isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Cuyahoga County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chagrin Falls

Disasters that paid out in Chagrin Falls itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Chagrin Falls), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2006Severe Storms, Straight Line Winds, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  2. 2006Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight Line Winds, and Flooding10 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
  3. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding46 households applied for aid$42K aid approved
  4. 2003Tornadoes, Flooding, Severe Storms, and High Winds18 households applied for aid$45K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Chagrin FallsCuyahoga County only

Cuyahoga 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Chagrin Falls after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Chagrin Falls archive →
Next door

Chagrin Falls and its neighbors

Chagrin Falls is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Chagrin Falls Township: not gradedMoreland Hills: hazard risk A−Russell Township: hazard risk A−Bentleyville: not gradedChagrin Falls TownshipMoreland HillsRussell TownshipBentleyvilleChagrin Falls
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Moreland HillsA−less damage than 85%river and rain flooding4
Russell TownshipA−less damage than 75%river and rain flooding13
Chagrin FallsC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding7
Chagrin Falls Township—not graded yet
Bentleyville—701 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Chagrin Falls faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Chagrin Falls

Is Chagrin Falls at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chagrin Falls has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #854 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%) and tornadoes (6%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Chagrin Falls flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Chagrin Falls since 1989, $371K in all, or 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Chagrin Falls 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 Cuyahoga County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Chagrin Falls?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chagrin Falls’ 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 Chagrin Falls?

By FEMA money that reached Chagrin Falls, Tornadoes, Flooding, Severe Storms, and High Winds (2003): 18 households applied for aid, $45K approved.

Is Chagrin Falls at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Chagrin Falls’ rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chagrin Falls.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chagrin Falls’ 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.