Photo: Roseohioresident · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Portage Lakes’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Portage Lakes gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #113 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then hail (18%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1983.
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 Portage Lakes 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
Hail
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 Portage Lakes’ grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Portage Lakes, and Portage Lakes’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 18%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A #113 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Portage Lakes’ 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, Portage Lakes has less expected damage per building than 89% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Portage Lakes: $961K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Portage Lakes flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Portage Lakes, from FEMA’s records: 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Erin1 claim · $3K
Portage Lakes isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Summit County.The storms Portage Lakes remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Summit County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Portage Lakes itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20172 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19921 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Summit County
Summit County has had 10 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 Portage Lakes after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Portage Lakes archive →Portage Lakes and its neighbors
Portage Lakes 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Portage Lakes | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Green | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Akron | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 131 |
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 Portage Lakes 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.
- 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.
- 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 Portage Lakes
Is Portage Lakes at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Portage Lakes has lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #113 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and hail (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Portage Lakes flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Portage Lakes since 1983, $22K in all, or 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Erin (1).
Is Portage Lakes 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 Summit County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Portage Lakes?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Portage Lakes’ 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 Portage Lakes?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Erin: 1 paid, $3K.
Is Portage Lakes at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Portage Lakes’ rate for it is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Portage Lakes.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Portage Lakes’ 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.