Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Somerset Township faces more hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Somerset Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Somerset 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 Somerset Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Somerset Township, and Somerset Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Somerset Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $854K a year in losses across Somerset Township: $717K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Somerset Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Somerset Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Somerset 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: Belmont County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Somerset Township
Disasters that paid out in Somerset Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Somerset Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides$20K to Somerset Township for repairs
- 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$4K to Somerset Township for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$22K to Somerset Township for repairs
- 2008Severe Wind Storm Associated with Tropical Depression Ike$4K to Somerset Township for repairs
Belmont County has had 18 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 Somerset Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Somerset Township archive →Somerset Township and its neighbors
Somerset Township is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Malaga Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| Somerset Township | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Beaver Township | — | 700 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Wayne Township | — | 458 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 Somerset 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 Somerset Township
Is Somerset Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Somerset Township has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Somerset 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 Belmont County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Somerset Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Somerset 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 Somerset Township?
By FEMA money that reached Somerset Township, Severe Storms and Flooding (2011): $22K to Somerset Township for repairs.
Is Somerset Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Somerset Township’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Somerset Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Somerset 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.