Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Union Township faces less hazard damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #581 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 35 claims here since 1995.
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 stands out about Union Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Union 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 Union Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Union Township, and Union Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #581 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Union 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, Union Township has more expected damage per building than 58% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Union Township: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Union Township flood? Sometimes: 35 flood claims since 1995
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Union Township, from FEMA’s records: 14.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The March storm11 claims · $196K
Union 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: Warren County.The storms Union Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Warren County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Union Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200812 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Wind Storm Associated with Tropical Depression Ike, declared for Warren County
- 199510 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19986 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Warren County has had 10 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 Union Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Union Township archive →Union Township and its neighbors
Union Township is 6th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mason | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Deerfield Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Turtlecreek Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Lebanon | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Hamilton Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Union Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| South Lebanon | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Salem Township | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
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 Union 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 Union Township
Is Union Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Township has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #581 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and tornadoes (10%). 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 Union Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 35 claims in Union Township since 1995, $517K in all, or 14.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from March storm (11).
Is Union 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 Warren County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Union Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Union 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 Union Township?
By flood claims, March storm: 11 paid, $196K.
Is Union Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Union Township’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Union Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Union 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.