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Palmyra Stagecoach 2Photo: JonRidinger · CC BY 3.0
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Palmyra Township · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Palmyra Township than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palmyra Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #59 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 72%Tornadoes 10%Hail 8%

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

less than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#59 of 993 in Ohio
Hazard risk
A+#59 of 993
in Ohio · lower than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 8 declared for Portage County
By hazard

What Palmyra 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

72%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Hurricanes Winter storms Wildfire Lightning 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 Palmyra Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Palmyra Township, and Palmyra Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Palmyra Township sits
Palmyra Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #59 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Tornadoes10%Hail8%Everything else9%

The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Palmyra Township has less expected damage per building than 94% of Ohio towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $445K a year in losses across Palmyra Township: $365K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Palmyra Township’s 2,780 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Palmyra Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Palmyra 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: Portage County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Palmyra Township

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

  1. 2003Tornadoes, Flooding, Severe Storms, and High Winds$13K to Palmyra Township for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Palmyra TownshipPortage County only

Portage 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 Palmyra Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Palmyra Township archive →
Next door

Palmyra Township and its neighbors

Palmyra Township is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Edinburg Township: hazard risk A+Paris Township: hazard risk A−Deerfield Township: hazard risk AMilton Township: hazard risk A+Edinburg TownshipParis TownshipDeerfield TownshipMilton TownshipPalmyra Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Milton TownshipA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding—
Edinburg TownshipA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding—
Palmyra TownshipA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding0
Deerfield TownshipAless damage than 92%river and rain flooding2
Paris TownshipA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding1

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 Palmyra 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 Palmyra Township

Is Palmyra Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palmyra Township has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #59 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (10%). 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 Palmyra 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 Portage County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Palmyra Township?

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

By FEMA money that reached Palmyra Township, Tornadoes, Flooding, Severe Storms, and High Winds (2003): $13K to Palmyra Township for repairs.

Is Palmyra Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Palmyra Township’s rate for it is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Palmyra Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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