Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Olive Township than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Olive Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #608 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1998.
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 Olive 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 Olive Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Olive Township, and Olive Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #608 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Olive Township’s residents live in 3 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, Olive Township has more expected damage per building than 61% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Olive Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Olive Township flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Olive Township, from FEMA’s records: 8.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan6 claims · $131K
Olive 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: Noble County.The storms Olive Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Noble County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Olive Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20049 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Noble County
- 19983 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Noble County
- 20001 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Noble County has had 14 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 Olive Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Olive Township archive →Olive Township and its neighbors
Olive Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Olive Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Noble Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Caldwell | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Sharon Township | — | 361 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Enoch Township | — | 764 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 Olive 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 Olive Township
Is Olive Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Olive Township has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #608 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Olive Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Olive Township since 1998, $302K in all, or 8.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (6).
Is Olive 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 Noble County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Olive Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Olive 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 Olive Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 6 paid, $131K.
Is Olive Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Olive Township’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Olive Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Olive 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.