Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Burnside Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Burnside Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 24 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 Burnside 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 Burnside Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Burnside Township, and Burnside Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Burnside Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $272K a year in losses across Burnside Township: $223K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Burnside Township flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Burnside Township, from FEMA’s records: 48.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $3K
Burnside 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 Burnside Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Clearfield County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Burnside Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199612 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Clearfield County
- 19797 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19783 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 Burnside Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Burnside Township archive →Burnside Township and its neighbors
Burnside 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susquehanna Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 494 |
| Montgomery Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Burnside Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Bell Township | — | 544 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Burnside | — | 161 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| New Washington | — | 42 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Westover | — | 323 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Chest Township | — | 503 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cherry Tree | — | 215 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 Burnside 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 Burnside Township
Is Burnside Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Burnside Township has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Burnside Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Burnside Township since 1978, $91K in all, or 48.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (1).
Is Burnside 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 Burnside Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Burnside 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 Burnside Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 paid, $3K.
Is Burnside Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Burnside Township’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Burnside Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Burnside 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.