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Wheat field in shocks, Hale TownshipPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hale Township · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Hale Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hale Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 79%Tornadoes 8%Hail 6%

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

more than 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Ohio · higher than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 8 declared for Hardin County
By hazard

What Hale 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

79%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning top 2% Hurricanes Wildfire 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 Hale Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hale Township, and Hale Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Hale Township sits
Hale Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Tornadoes8%Hail6%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $769K a year in losses across Hale Township: $617K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hale Township’s 1,537 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Dudley township (1,490 residents) and Mount Victory village (601 residents) and Taylor Creek township (593 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’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 Hale Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hale Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Hale 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: Hardin County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Hale Township

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

  1. 2004Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$12K to Hale Township for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Hale TownshipHardin County only

Hardin 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hale Township archive →
Next door

Hale Township and its neighbors

Hale Township is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Bokescreek Township: hazard risk A−Buck Township: hazard risk C+Taylor Creek Township: not gradedBowling Green Township: not gradedDudley Township: hazard risk C+Ridgeway: not gradedWashington Township: not gradedBokescreek TownshipBuck TownshipTaylor Creek TownshipBowling Green TownshipDudley TownshipRidgewayWashington TownshipHale Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Bokescreek TownshipA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding—
Dudley TownshipC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding—
Hale TownshipC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding0
Buck TownshipC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding13
Taylor Creek Township—585 residents; we grade 1,000+
Bowling Green Township—356 residents; we grade 1,000+
Ridgeway—224 residents; we grade 1,000+
Washington Township—802 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Hale 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.

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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Hale Township

Is Hale Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hale Township has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (8%). 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 Hale 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 Hardin County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Hale Township?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hale Township, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2004): $12K to Hale Township for repairs.

Is Hale Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Hale Township’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hale Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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