Lower Marsh Creek Presbyterian Church · Photo: Smallbones · CC0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Highland Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Highland Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 2 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 Highland 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
Hurricanes
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 Highland Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Highland Township, and Highland Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
B− lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Highland Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $289K a year in losses across Highland Township: $235K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Highland Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Highland Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Highland 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: Adams County.The storms Highland Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Adams County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Highland Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Adams County
Adams County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Highland Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Highland Township archive →Highland Township and its neighbors
Highland Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Franklin Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Hamiltonban Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Liberty Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Highland Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Orrtanna | — | 143 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Freedom Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Highland 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Highland Township
Is Highland Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Highland Township has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (10%). 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 Highland Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Highland Township since 1978, $25K in all, or 4.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Highland 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 Adams County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Highland Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Highland Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Highland Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Highland Township’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Highland Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Highland 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.