Smock Historic District · Photo: Smallbones · CC0FEMA puts Franklin Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1985.
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 Franklin 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 Franklin Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Franklin Township, and Franklin Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Franklin Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $592K a year in losses across Franklin Township: $531K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Franklin Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Franklin Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Franklin 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: Fayette County.The storms Franklin Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Fayette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Franklin Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19851 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Fayette County
Fayette County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Franklin Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Franklin Township archive →Franklin Township and its neighbors
Franklin Township is 2nd of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Union Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Franklin Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Menallen Township | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Perry Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Dunbar Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Redstone Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Lower Tyrone Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Jefferson Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Smock | — | 564 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Rowes Run | — | 449 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 Franklin 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 Franklin Township
Is Franklin Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin Township has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Franklin Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Franklin Township since 1985, $2K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Franklin 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 Fayette 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 Franklin Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Franklin Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Franklin Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Franklin Township’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Franklin Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Franklin 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.