Photo: Ruhrfisch · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Benton Township than in 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Benton Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 249 claims here since 1978.
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 Benton Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Benton 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
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 Benton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Benton Township, and Benton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Benton Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $618K a year in losses across Benton Township: $546K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Benton Township flood? Yes: 249 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Benton Township, from FEMA’s records: 447.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee103 claims · $3.1M
Benton 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: Columbia County.The storms Benton Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Columbia County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Benton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2011108 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Columbia County
- 201857 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Columbia County
- 200651 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Columbia County
Columbia County has had 16 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 Benton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Benton Township archive →Benton Township and its neighbors
Benton Township is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmount Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Fishing Creek Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 100 |
| Benton Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 249 |
| Jackson Township | — | 655 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| New Columbus | — | 305 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Sugarloaf 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 Benton 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.
- 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 Benton Township
Is Benton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Benton Township has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Benton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 249 claims in Benton Township since 1978, $7.0M in all, or 447.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (103).
Is Benton 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 Columbia County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Benton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Benton 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 Benton Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 103 paid, $3.1M.
Is Benton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Benton Township’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Benton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Benton 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.