More hazard damage per building is expected in Franklin Furnace than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin Furnace gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Franklin Furnace 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 Franklin Furnace’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Franklin Furnace, and Franklin Furnace’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Franklin Furnace’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $608K a year in losses across Franklin Furnace: $355K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Franklin Furnace flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Franklin Furnace. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Franklin Furnace isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Scioto County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Franklin Furnace
Disasters that paid out in Franklin Furnace itself (aid to households or repair grants to Franklin Furnace), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2003Severe Winter Storm and Record/near Record Snow50 households applied for aid$46K aid approved
Scioto 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 Franklin Furnace after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Franklin Furnace archive →Franklin Furnace and its neighbors
Franklin Furnace is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Franklin Furnace | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Greenup | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 59 |
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 Franklin Furnace 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 Franklin Furnace
Is Franklin Furnace at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin Furnace has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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.
Is Franklin Furnace 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 Scioto County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Franklin Furnace?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Franklin Furnace’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 Franklin Furnace?
By FEMA money that reached Franklin Furnace, Severe Winter Storm and Record/near Record Snow (2003): 50 households applied for aid, $46K approved.
Is Franklin Furnace at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Franklin Furnace’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Franklin Furnace.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Franklin Furnace’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.