Photo: Ruhrfisch · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Cleveland Township than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cleveland Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 32 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 Cleveland 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 Cleveland Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cleveland Township, and Cleveland Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Cleveland Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $405K a year in losses across Cleveland Township: $344K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cleveland Township flood? Sometimes: 32 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cleveland Township, from FEMA’s records: 62.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee12 claims · $444K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $958
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $11K
Cleveland 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: Columbia County.The storms Cleveland Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Columbia County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cleveland Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201112 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Columbia County
- 19969 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Columbia County
- 20065 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Columbia County
Columbia County has had 16 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 Cleveland Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cleveland Township archive →Cleveland Township and its neighbors
Cleveland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Carmel Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Ralpho Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Coal Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Locust Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Cleveland Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Franklin Township | — | 524 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Conyngham Township | — | 815 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 Cleveland 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 Cleveland Township
Is Cleveland Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cleveland Township has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ 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 Cleveland Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 32 claims in Cleveland Township since 1979, $644K in all, or 62.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (12).
Is Cleveland 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 Columbia County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cleveland Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cleveland 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 Cleveland Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 12 paid, $444K.
Is Cleveland Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Cleveland Township’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cleveland Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cleveland 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.