Photo: Ruhrfisch · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Hemlock 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, Hemlock Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 256 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 stands out about Hemlock Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Hemlock 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 Hemlock Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hemlock Township, and Hemlock Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
B− lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hemlock Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $677K a year in losses across Hemlock Township: $575K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hemlock Township flood? Yes: 256 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hemlock Township, from FEMA’s records: 290.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee101 claims · $5.3M
- Tropical Storm Ivan5 claims · $90K
- The Torrential rain2 claims · $43K
Hemlock 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 Hemlock Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Columbia County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hemlock Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2011103 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Columbia County
- 200680 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Columbia County
- 199639 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, 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 Hemlock Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hemlock Township archive →Hemlock Township and its neighbors
Hemlock Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomsburg | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 858 |
| Mount Pleasant Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Montour Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
| Hemlock Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 256 |
| Madison Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Fernville | — | 456 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| West Hemlock Township | — | 490 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 Hemlock 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 Hemlock Township
Is Hemlock Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hemlock Township has lower expected damage per building than 51% 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 Hemlock Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 256 claims in Hemlock Township since 1978, $9.2M in all, or 290.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (101).
Is Hemlock 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 Hemlock Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hemlock 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 Hemlock Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 101 paid, $5.3M.
Is Hemlock Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Hemlock Township’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hemlock Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hemlock 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.