Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Falls Township than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Falls Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #964 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1981.
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 Falls 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 Falls Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Falls Township, and Falls Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #964 of 993 in Ohio; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Falls Township’s residents live in 6 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, Falls Township has more expected damage per building than 97% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.5M a year in losses across Falls Township: $5.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Falls Township flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Falls Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Falls 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: Hocking County.The storms Falls Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Hocking County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Falls 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 Hocking County
- 20052 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Hocking County has had 14 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 Falls Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Falls Township archive →Falls Township and its neighbors
Falls Township is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good Hope Township | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Laurel Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Washington Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Marion Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Green Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Falls Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Monday Creek Township | — | 714 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Coal Township | — | 896 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 Falls 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 Falls Township
Is Falls Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Falls Township has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #964 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Falls Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Falls Township since 1981, $221K in all, or 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Falls 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 Hocking County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Falls Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Falls Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Falls Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Falls Township’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Falls Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Falls 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.