Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Cheviot than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cheviot gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #224 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then tornadoes (29%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Cheviot 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
Earthquakes
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 Cheviot’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cheviot, and Cheviot’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 29%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
A #224 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cheviot’s residents live in 4 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, Cheviot has less expected damage per building than 78% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Cheviot: $803K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cheviot flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cheviot. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Cheviot isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hamilton County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Cheviot
Disasters that paid out in Cheviot itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Cheviot), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Wind Storm Associated with Tropical Depression Ike$33K to the City of Cheviot for repairs
Hamilton County has had 16 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 Cheviot after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cheviot archive →Cheviot and its neighbors
Cheviot has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheviot | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Monfort Heights | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Bridgetown | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Cincinnati | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 723 |
| Green Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
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 Cheviot 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Cheviot
Is Cheviot at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cheviot has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #224 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and tornadoes (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Cheviot 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 Hamilton County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cheviot?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cheviot’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 Cheviot?
By FEMA money that reached Cheviot, Severe Wind Storm Associated with Tropical Depression Ike (2008): $33K to the City of Cheviot for repairs.
Is Cheviot at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Cheviot’s rate for it is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cheviot.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cheviot’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.