Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Independence 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, Independence Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 16 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 Independence 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 Independence Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Independence Township, and Independence Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Independence Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $571K a year in losses across Independence Township: $532K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Independence Township flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Independence Township, from FEMA’s records: 16.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $102K
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $56K
Independence 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: Beaver County.The storms Independence Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Beaver County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Independence Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20045 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Beaver County
- 20182 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20212 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Beaver County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Independence Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Independence Township archive →Independence Township and its neighbors
Independence Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Findlay Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Hopewell Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 68 |
| Hanover Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Independence Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
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 Independence 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 Independence Township
Is Independence Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Independence Township has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Independence Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Independence Township since 1978, $250K in all, or 16.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (4).
Is Independence 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 Beaver County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Independence Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Independence 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 Independence Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 4 paid, $102K.
Is Independence Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Independence Township’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Independence Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Independence 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.