Photo: dok1 · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Seal Township than in 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Seal Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #903 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 40 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 Seal 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 Seal Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Seal Township, and Seal Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
C #903 of 993 in Ohio; higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Seal Township’s 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, Seal Township has more expected damage per building than 91% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Seal Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Seal Township flood? Sometimes: 40 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Seal Township, from FEMA’s records: 30.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The March storm2 claims · $23K
Seal 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: Pike County.The storms Seal Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Pike County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Seal Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199712 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Pike County
- 200612 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 200510 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Pike County has had 13 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 Seal Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Seal Township archive →Seal Township and its neighbors
Seal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scioto Township | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Union Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Beaver Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pee Pee Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Seal Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Piketon | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Newton Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Jackson Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Seal 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 Seal Township
Is Seal Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Seal Township has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #903 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Seal Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 40 claims in Seal Township since 1997, $693K in all, or 30.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from March storm (2).
Is Seal 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 Pike County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Seal Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Seal 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 Seal Township?
By flood claims, March storm: 2 paid, $23K.
Is Seal Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Seal Township’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Seal Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Seal 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.