Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Hickory Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hickory Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 20 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 Hickory 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 Hickory Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hickory Township, and Hickory 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 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hickory Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $569K a year in losses across Hickory Township: $521K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hickory Township flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hickory Township, from FEMA’s records: 18.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Hickory 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: Lawrence County.The storms Hickory Township remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Lawrence County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hickory Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20046 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Lawrence County
- 20034 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Lawrence County
- 19862 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lawrence County has had 9 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 Hickory Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hickory Township archive →Hickory Township and its neighbors
Hickory Township is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neshannock Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Wilmington Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Hickory Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Shenango Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Scott Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| New Castle | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
| Washington Township | — | 654 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 Hickory 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 Hickory Township
Is Hickory Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hickory Township has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Hickory Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Hickory Township since 1981, $172K in all, or 18.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Hickory 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 Lawrence County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hickory Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hickory Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Hickory Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Hickory Township’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hickory Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hickory 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.