Photo: User:Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Charleston Township than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Charleston Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #954 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.
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 Charleston 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 Charleston Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Charleston Township, and Charleston Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #954 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Charleston Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Charleston Township has more expected damage per building than 92% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Charleston Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Charleston Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Charleston Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Charleston 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: Tioga County.The storms Charleston Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Tioga County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Charleston Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Thunderstorms, High Winds,rain, Flooding, declared for Tioga County
Tioga County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Charleston Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Charleston Township archive →Charleston Township and its neighbors
Charleston Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellsboro | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Charleston Township | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Middlebury Township | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Delmar Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Charleston 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 Charleston Township
Is Charleston Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Charleston Township has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #954 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. 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 Charleston Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Charleston Township since 1979, $813 in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Charleston 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 Tioga County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Charleston Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Charleston Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Charleston Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Charleston Township’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Charleston Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Charleston 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.