Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Harrison Township faces more hazard damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harrison Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #908 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1990.
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 Harrison 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 Harrison Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harrison Township, and Harrison Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C #908 of 993 in Ohio; higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Harrison Township’s residents live in 2 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, Harrison Township has more expected damage per building than 91% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Harrison Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Harrison Township flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1990
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Harrison Township, from FEMA’s records: 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Harrison 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: Perry County.The storms Harrison Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Perry County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Harrison Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20047 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Perry County
- 20264 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Landslides, declared for Perry County
- 19902 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Perry County
Perry County has had 16 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 Harrison Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Harrison Township archive →Harrison Township and its neighbors
Harrison Township is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Newton Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Bearfield Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Harrison Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| York Township | — | 565 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 Harrison 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 Harrison Township
Is Harrison Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harrison Township has higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #908 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Harrison Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Harrison Township since 1990, $758K in all, or 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Harrison 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 Perry County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Harrison Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Harrison Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Harrison Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Harrison Township’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harrison Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Harrison 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.