Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Morris Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morris Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%). Flood insurance has paid 3 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 Morris 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
Hail
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 Morris Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Morris Township, and Morris Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 9% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).
B lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Morris Township’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $586K a year in losses across Morris Township: $474K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Morris Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Morris Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Morris 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: Knox County.The storms Morris Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Knox County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Morris Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19982 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Knox County
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Knox 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 Morris Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Morris Township archive →Morris Township and its neighbors
Morris Township is 5th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pike Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Berlin Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Fredericktown | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Morris Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Mount Vernon | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Clinton Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Wayne Township | — | 587 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 Morris 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.
- 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.
- 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 Morris Township
Is Morris Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morris Township has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Morris Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Morris Township since 1979, $12K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Morris 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 Knox County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Morris Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Morris Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Morris Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Morris Township’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Morris Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Morris 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.