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FrankfortOH2Photo: Aesopposea · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Frankfort · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Frankfort than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Frankfort gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2001.

River and rain flooding 84%Tornadoes 6%Strong wind 3%

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 72%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Ohio · lower than 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2001 · $41K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 13 declared for Ross County

What stands out about Frankfort’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants1 storm safe room built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Frankfort 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

84%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Ice storms Earthquakes Wildfire Winter storms Hurricanes Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Frankfort’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Frankfort, and Frankfort’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Frankfort sits
Frankfort
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Tornadoes6%Everything else9%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $284K a year in losses across Frankfort: $191K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Frankfort’s 1,084 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 Frankfort flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2001

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Frankfort, from FEMA’s records: 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 3 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20012008
20012026
4
paid claims since 2001
$41K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$10K
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

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

Insurance rates: Ross County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1storm safe room built
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Frankfort

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

  1. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Village of Frankfort for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides27 households applied for aid$16K aid approved
  3. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$10K to the Village of Frankfort for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Winter Storm and Record/near Record Snow$884 to the Village of Frankfort for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FrankfortRoss County only

Ross County has had 13 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Frankfort after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Frankfort archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Frankfort 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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 Frankfort

Is Frankfort at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Frankfort has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (6%). 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 Frankfort flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Frankfort since 2001, $41K in all, or 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Frankfort 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 Ross County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Frankfort?

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

By FEMA money that reached Frankfort, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2004): 27 households applied for aid, $16K approved.

Is Frankfort at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Frankfort’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Frankfort.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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