Photo: Smallbones at English Wikipedia · Public domainFEMA puts Elk Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elk Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 8 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 Elk 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
Earthquakes
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 Elk Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elk Township, and Elk Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 6% (higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Elk Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $966K a year in losses across Elk Township: $521K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Elk Township flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elk Township, from FEMA’s records: 12.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Elk 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: Chester County.The storms Elk Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Chester County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Elk Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20032 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storms Henri and Isabel and Related Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Chester County
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Chester County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Elk Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elk Township archive →Elk Township and its neighbors
Elk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Nottingham Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Elk Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| New London Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Franklin Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Elk 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Elk Township
Is Elk Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elk Township has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and earthquakes (6%). 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 Elk Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Elk Township since 1978, $16K in all, or 12.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Elk 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 Chester County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Elk Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elk Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Elk Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Elk Township’s rate for it is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elk Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elk 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.