Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Spencer Township than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spencer Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1979.
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 Spencer 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
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 Spencer Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Spencer Township, and Spencer Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Spencer Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $218K a year in losses across Spencer Township: $180K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Spencer Township flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Spencer Township, from FEMA’s records: 36.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan3 claims · $31K
Spencer 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: Guernsey County.The storms Spencer Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Guernsey County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Spencer Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20049 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Guernsey County
- 19984 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Guernsey County
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Guernsey 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 Spencer Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Spencer Township archive →Spencer Township and its neighbors
Spencer Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Valley Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Westland Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Noble Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Rich Hill Township | — | 642 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Brookfield Township | — | 113 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Buffalo Township | — | 835 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 Spencer 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.
- 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 Spencer Township
Is Spencer Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spencer Township has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (6%). 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.
Does Spencer Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Spencer Township since 1979, $230K in all, or 36.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (3).
Is Spencer 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 Guernsey County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Spencer Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Spencer 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 Spencer Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 3 paid, $31K.
Is Spencer Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Spencer Township’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Spencer Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Spencer 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.