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Fourth and Sandusky, ChatfieldPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Chatfield · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Chatfield

Chatfield isn’t graded for hazard risk: Chatfield has 170 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 12 declared for Crawford County
By hazard

What Chatfield 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

71%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Ice storms

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Winter storms Hurricanes Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 11% of Chatfield’s 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Chatfield flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Chatfield. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Crawford County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chatfield

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

  1. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes7 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  2. 2004Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ChatfieldCrawford County only

Crawford County has had 12 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Chatfield archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Chatfield 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 ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • 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.
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 Chatfield

Is Chatfield 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 Crawford County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Chatfield?

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

By FEMA money that reached Chatfield, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2007): 7 households applied for aid, $5K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chatfield.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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