FEMA puts Franklin Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #668 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.
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 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 Franklin Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Franklin Township, and Franklin Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 5% (higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #668 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Franklin Township’s residents live in 4 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, Franklin Township has more expected damage per building than 67% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Franklin Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Franklin Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Franklin Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Franklin 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: Portage County.The storms Franklin Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Portage County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Franklin Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Portage County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Franklin Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Franklin Township archive →Franklin Township and its neighbors
Franklin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streetsboro | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brimfield Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Ravenna Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Stow | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| Kent | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Franklin Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Sugar Bush Knolls | — | 328 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Brady Lake | — | 831 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 Franklin 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 Franklin Township
Is Franklin Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin Township has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #668 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and tornadoes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Franklin Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Franklin Township since 1979, $8K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Franklin 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 Portage County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Franklin Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Franklin Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Franklin Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Franklin Township’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Franklin Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Franklin 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.