Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Clay Township than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clay Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 6 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 Clay 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 Clay Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clay Township, and Clay Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Clay Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $476K a year in losses across Clay Township: $424K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Clay Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clay Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $15K
Clay 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: Butler County.The storms Clay Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Butler County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Clay Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20112 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19841 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Butler County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Clay Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Clay Township archive →Clay Township and its neighbors
Clay Township is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Center Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Concord Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Clay Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Cherry Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Brady Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
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 Clay 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 Clay Township
Is Clay Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clay Township has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Clay Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Clay Township since 1979, $28K in all, or 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Clay 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 Butler County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Clay Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clay 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 Clay Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $15K.
Is Clay Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Clay Township’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clay Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clay 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.