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Dennison DepotPhoto: Bwsmith84 · CC BY 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Dennison · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dennison gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #781 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1980.

River and rain flooding 91%Hail 4%Tornadoes 2%

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

less than 54%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#781 of 993 in Ohio
Hazard risk
B−#781 of 993
in Ohio · lower than 54% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
10
paid since 1980 · $54K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 10 declared for Tuscarawas County
By hazard

What Dennison 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

91%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Dennison’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dennison, and Dennison’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Dennison sits
Dennison
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #781 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Hail4%Everything else5%

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

In dollars, FEMA expects about $631K a year in losses across Dennison: $556K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Dennison’s 2,709 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Dennison flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dennison, from FEMA’s records: 9.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 1 claim1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 4 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198019902004
19802026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $1K
10
paid claims since 1980
$54K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Tuscarawas County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dennison

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

  1. 2004Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding22 households applied for aid$53K aid approved$1K to the Village of Dennison for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding20 households applied for aid$20K aid approved
  4. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides5 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$7K to the Village of Dennison for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DennisonTuscarawas County only

Tuscarawas County has had 10 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 Dennison after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Dennison archive →
Next door

Dennison and its neighbors

Dennison is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Uhrichsville: hazard risk C+Mill Township: hazard risk C+Union Township: hazard risk BUhrichsvilleMill TownshipUnion TownshipDennison
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Union TownshipBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding8
DennisonB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding10
Mill TownshipC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding37
UhrichsvilleC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding29

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 Dennison 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 ↗
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 Dennison

Is Dennison at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dennison has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #781 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Dennison flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Dennison since 1980, $54K in all, or 9.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (1).

Is Dennison 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 Tuscarawas County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Dennison?

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

By FEMA money that reached Dennison, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): 22 households applied for aid, $53K approved, and $1K to the Village of Dennison for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 paid, $1K.

Is Dennison at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Dennison’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dennison.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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