Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Elyria Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elyria Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #64 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1985.
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 Elyria 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 Elyria Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elyria Township, and Elyria Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #64 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Elyria Township’s residents live in 5 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, Elyria Township has less expected damage per building than 94% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $748K a year in losses across Elyria Township: $614K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Elyria Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elyria Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Elyria 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: Lorain County.The storms Elyria Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Lorain County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Elyria Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19851 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20231 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lorain County has had 15 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 Elyria Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elyria Township archive →Elyria Township and its neighbors
Elyria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elyria Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Sheffield Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lorain | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
| Amherst Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Elyria | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
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 Elyria 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 Elyria Township
Is Elyria Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elyria Township has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #64 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and tornadoes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Elyria Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Elyria Township since 1985, $35K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Elyria 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 Lorain County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Elyria Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elyria Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Elyria Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Elyria Township’s rate for it is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elyria Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elyria 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.