Photo: dok1 · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Elizabeth Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elizabeth Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1978.
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 Elizabeth 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
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 Elizabeth Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elizabeth Township, and Elizabeth Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Elizabeth Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Elizabeth Township: $831K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Elizabeth Township flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elizabeth Township, from FEMA’s records: 12.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Elizabeth 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: Lawrence County.The storms Elizabeth Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Lawrence County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Elizabeth Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19973 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Lawrence County
- 20102 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Lawrence County
Lawrence County has had 12 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 Elizabeth Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elizabeth Township archive →Elizabeth Township and its neighbors
Elizabeth Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Vernon Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Green Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Upper Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
| Hamilton Township | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Decatur Township | — | 632 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Aid Township | — | 778 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.
Get ready for what Elizabeth 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.
- 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 Elizabeth Township
Is Elizabeth Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elizabeth Township has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Elizabeth Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Elizabeth Township since 1978, $149K in all, or 12.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Elizabeth 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 Lawrence County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Elizabeth Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elizabeth Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Elizabeth Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Elizabeth Township’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elizabeth Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elizabeth 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.