Photo: Niagara · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Brokenstraw Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brokenstraw Township gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). Flood insurance has paid 10 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 Brokenstraw 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 Brokenstraw Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brokenstraw Township, and Brokenstraw Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Brokenstraw Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Brokenstraw Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brokenstraw Township flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brokenstraw Township, from FEMA’s records: 11.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Brokenstraw 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 Brokenstraw Township remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Warren County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Brokenstraw Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19922 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20112 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20142 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Warren County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Brokenstraw Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brokenstraw Township archive →Brokenstraw Township and its neighbors
Brokenstraw Township is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar Grove Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pleasant Township | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Pittsfield Township | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Conewango Township | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Brokenstraw Township | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Deerfield Township | — | 173 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 Brokenstraw 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 Brokenstraw Township
Is Brokenstraw Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brokenstraw Township has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). 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 Brokenstraw Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Brokenstraw Township since 1978, $83K in all, or 11.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Brokenstraw 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, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brokenstraw Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brokenstraw Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Brokenstraw Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Brokenstraw Township’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brokenstraw Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brokenstraw 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.