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Site of St. Patrick Catholic Church in St. Patrick, OhioPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Van Buren Township · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Van Buren Township than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Van Buren Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then earthquakes (22%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 55%Earthquakes 22%Tornadoes 13%

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 76%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 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2011 · $33K
Flood claims per home
3 per 1,000
fewer than 55% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Van Buren 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

55%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% 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 Van Buren Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Van Buren Township, and Van Buren Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 22% (higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Van Buren Township sits
Van Buren Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Van Buren Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding55%Earthquakes22%Tornadoes13%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $818K a year in losses across Van Buren Township: $647K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Van Buren Township covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Van Buren Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Van Buren Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20112015
20112026
Biggest named events
  • The Late winter storms1 claim · $24K
2
paid claims since 2011
$33K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$17K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Van Buren 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: Shelby County.
Disasters

The storms Van Buren Township remembers

None of the 11 disasters declared for Shelby County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Van Buren Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20111 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  2. 20151 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Van Buren TownshipShelby County only

Shelby County has had 11 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 Van Buren Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Van Buren Township archive →
Next door

Van Buren Township and its neighbors

Van Buren Township is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Washington Township: hazard risk BMcLean Township: hazard risk B+Turtle Creek Township: hazard risk ADinsmore Township: hazard risk A−Washington TownshipMcLean TownshipTurtle Creek TownshipDinsmore TownshipVan Buren Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Turtle Creek TownshipAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding—
Dinsmore TownshipA−less damage than 81%river and rain flooding—
Van Buren TownshipA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding2
McLean TownshipB+less damage than 66%river and rain flooding11
Washington TownshipBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding2

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Van Buren 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.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Van Buren Township

Is Van Buren Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Van Buren Township has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and earthquakes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Van Buren Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Van Buren Township since 2011, $33K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Late winter storms (1).

Is Van Buren 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 Shelby County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Van Buren Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Van Buren 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 Van Buren Township?

By flood claims, Late winter storms: 1 paid, $24K.

Is Van Buren Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Van Buren Township’s rate for it is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Van Buren Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Van Buren 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.