Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Bigler Township than in 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bigler Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1981.
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 Bigler 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 Bigler Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bigler Township, and Bigler Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bigler Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $321K a year in losses across Bigler Township: $267K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bigler Township flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bigler Township, from FEMA’s records: 14.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan3 claims · $33K
Bigler 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: Clearfield County.The storms Bigler Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Clearfield County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bigler Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19963 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Clearfield County
- 20043 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Clearfield County
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Clearfield County has had 14 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 Bigler Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bigler Township archive →Bigler Township and its neighbors
Bigler Township is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodward Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 65 |
| Gulich Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bigler Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Beccaria Township | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Knox Township | — | 639 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Glen Hope | — | 204 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Ramey | — | 389 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Jordan Township | — | 529 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Bigler 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 Bigler Township
Is Bigler Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bigler Township has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Bigler Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Bigler Township since 1981, $46K in all, or 14.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (3).
Is Bigler 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 Clearfield County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bigler Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bigler 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 Bigler Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 3 paid, $33K.
Is Bigler Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Bigler Township’s rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bigler Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bigler 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.