Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Colerain Township than in 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colerain Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #600 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (21%). Flood insurance has paid 50 claims 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 stands out about Colerain Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Colerain 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
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 Colerain Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Colerain Township, and Colerain Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 21%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #600 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Colerain Township’s residents live in 22 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, Colerain Township has more expected damage per building than 60% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.6M a year in losses across Colerain Township: $8.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Colerain Township flood? Sometimes: 50 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Colerain Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Colerain 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: Hamilton County.The storms Colerain Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Hamilton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Colerain Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201014 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20178 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19824 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Colerain Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Colerain Township archive →Colerain Township and its neighbors
Colerain Township is 5th of the 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Run | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
| North College Hill | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Green Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Dunlap | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Colerain Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 50 |
| Dry Ridge | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| White Oak | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Taylor Creek | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Crosby Township | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Miamitown | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Whitewater Township | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
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 Colerain 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.
- 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 Colerain Township
Is Colerain Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colerain Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #600 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (21%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Colerain Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 50 claims in Colerain Township since 1979, $352K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Colerain 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 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 Colerain Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Colerain Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Colerain Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Colerain Township’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Colerain Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Colerain 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.