Photo: Vbofficial · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Porter Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Porter Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #631 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 37 claims here since 1997.
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 Porter Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Porter 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 Porter Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Porter Township, and Porter Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #631 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Porter Township’s residents live in 6 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, Porter Township has more expected damage per building than 64% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Porter Township: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Porter Township flood? Sometimes: 37 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Porter Township, from FEMA’s records: 8.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Porter 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: Scioto County.The storms Porter Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Scioto County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Porter Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200014 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Scioto County
- 20084 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20183 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Scioto County
Scioto 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 Porter Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Porter Township archive →Porter Township and its neighbors
Porter Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheelersburg | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Porter Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Vernon Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Harrison Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Green Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Clay Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Portsmouth | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Sciotodale | — | 794 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 Porter 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 Porter Township
Is Porter Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Porter Township has lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #631 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Porter Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 37 claims in Porter Township since 1997, $223K in all, or 8.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Porter 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 Scioto County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Porter Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Porter Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Porter Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Porter Township’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Porter Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Porter 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.