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Monitor HousePhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in St. Paris · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, St. Paris faces less hazard damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Paris gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1999.

River and rain flooding 70%Tornadoes 13%Earthquakes 6%

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

less than 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Ohio · lower than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
70% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1999 · $17K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 7 declared for Champaign County

What stands out about St. Paris’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants1 storm safe room built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What St. Paris 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

70%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind St. Paris’ grade

River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Paris, and St. Paris’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts).

Where St. Paris sits
St. Paris
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of St. Paris’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding70%Tornadoes13%Earthquakes6%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $467K a year in losses across St. Paris: $363K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of St. Paris’ 1,882 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Johnson township (3,077 residents) and Jackson township (2,555 residents) and Adams township (1,036 residents) and Christiansburg village (505 residents) and Rosewood CDP (224 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does St. Paris flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Paris, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 2 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1999
19992026
2
paid claims since 1999
$17K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

St. Paris isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Champaign County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1storm safe room built
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. Paris

Disasters that paid out in St. Paris itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of St. Paris), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$32K to the Village of St. Paris for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Wind Storm Associated with Tropical Depression Ike$8K to the Village of St. Paris for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$35K to the Village of St. Paris for repairs
  4. 2004Snow$3K to the Village of St. Paris for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in St. ParisChampaign County only

Champaign County has had 7 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of St. Paris after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the St. Paris archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what St. Paris faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in St. Paris

Is St. Paris at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Paris has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (13%). 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 St. Paris flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in St. Paris since 1999, $17K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is St. Paris 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 Champaign County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in St. Paris?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Paris’ 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 St. Paris?

By FEMA money that reached St. Paris, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2004): $35K to the Village of St. Paris for repairs.

Is St. Paris at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and St. Paris’ rate for it is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Paris.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Paris’ 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.