Photo: Zrudisin · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Franklin faces more hazard damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #1,004 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1981.
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 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’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Franklin, and Franklin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D #1,004 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Franklin’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Franklin has more expected damage per building than 97% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Franklin: $2.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Franklin flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Franklin, from FEMA’s records: 7.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Franklin isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Venango County.The storms Franklin remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Venango County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Franklin itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19965 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Venango County
- 19814 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Venango County
- 19904 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Venango County has had 12 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 Franklin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Franklin archive →Franklin and its neighbors
Franklin is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandycreek Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sugarcreek | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Frenchcreek Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Franklin | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
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 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
Is Franklin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,004 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Franklin flood?
Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Franklin since 1981, $168K in all, or 7.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Franklin 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 Venango County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Franklin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Franklin’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Franklin at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Franklin’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Franklin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Franklin’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.