On FEMA’s figures, Lee Township faces less hazard damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lee Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #291 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 28 claims here since 2001.
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 stands out about Lee Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lee 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 Lee Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lee Township, and Lee Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
A #291 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lee Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lee Township has less expected damage per building than 71% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $511K a year in losses across Lee Township: $381K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lee Township flood? Sometimes: 28 flood claims since 2001
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lee Township, from FEMA’s records: 22.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan3 claims · $17K
- Tropical Storm Fred1 claim · $24K
Lee 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: Athens County.The storms Lee Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Athens County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lee Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20023 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20033 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm and Record/near Record Snow, declared for Athens County
- 20043 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Athens County
Athens 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 Lee Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lee Township archive →Lee Township and its neighbors
Lee Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Waterloo Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Alexander Township | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Columbia Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Knox Township | — | 681 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 Lee 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 Lee Township
Is Lee Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lee Township has lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #291 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) 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 Lee Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 28 claims in Lee Township since 2001, $298K in all, or 22.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (3).
Is Lee 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 Athens County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lee Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lee 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 Lee Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 3 paid, $17K.
Is Lee Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Lee Township’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lee Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lee 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.