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South of St Marys on PA255Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Fox Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Fox Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fox Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #742 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2006.

River and rain flooding 93%Hurricanes 3%Strong wind 2%

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

less than 52%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#742 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
B−#742 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 52% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
93% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2006 · $25K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 7 declared for Elk County
By hazard

What Fox 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

93%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Fox Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fox Township, and Fox Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Fox Township sits
Fox Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #742 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Fox Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding93%Hurricanes3%Everything else4%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fox Township has more expected damage per building than 72% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Fox Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Fox Township’s 3,576 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Horton township (1,366 residents) and Kersey CDP (797 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Fox Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2006

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fox Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200620112016
20062026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $17K
4
paid claims since 2006
$25K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Fox 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: Elk County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fox Township

Disasters that paid out in Fox Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Fox Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding$1.2M to Fox Township for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Lee$1.3M to Fox Township for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $17K
  3. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$22K to Fox Township for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Fox TownshipElk County only

Elk County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Fox Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Fox Township archive →
Next door

Fox Township and its neighbors

Fox Township is 3rd of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Jay Township: hazard risk DSt. Marys: hazard risk AHuston Township: hazard risk CHorton Township: hazard risk B−Ridgway Township: hazard risk CJay TownshipSt. MarysHuston TownshipHorton TownshipRidgway TownshipFox Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
St. MarysAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding24
Horton TownshipB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding10
Fox TownshipB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding4
Ridgway TownshipCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding14
Huston TownshipCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding14
Jay TownshipDmore damage than 92%river and rain flooding16

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Fox 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Fox Township

Is Fox Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fox Township has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #742 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Fox Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Fox Township since 2006, $25K in all, or 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (1).

Is Fox 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 Elk County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Fox Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fox 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 Fox Township?

By FEMA money that reached Fox Township, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): $1.3M to Fox Township for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 1 paid, $17K.

Is Fox Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Fox Township’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fox Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fox 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.