Photo: SalamanderEmergency · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Swanton Township faces less hazard damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Swanton Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #321 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2009.
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 Swanton 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
Earthquakes
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 Swanton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Swanton Township, and Swanton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 14% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
A #321 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Swanton Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Swanton Township has less expected damage per building than 68% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $769K a year in losses across Swanton Township: $630K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Swanton Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Swanton Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Swanton 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: Lucas County.The storms Swanton Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Lucas County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Swanton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20091 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lucas County has had 12 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 Swanton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Swanton Township archive →Swanton Township and its neighbors
Swanton Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swanton Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Whitehouse | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Waterville Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Swan Creek Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Monclova Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Providence Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Harding 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 Swanton 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Swanton Township
Is Swanton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Swanton Township has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #321 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and tornadoes (14%). 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 Swanton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Swanton Township since 2009, $3K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Swanton 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 Lucas County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Swanton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Swanton Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Swanton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Swanton Township’s rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Swanton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Swanton 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.