Meadowcroft Rockshelter · Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Jefferson Township than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Jefferson Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jefferson Township, and Jefferson Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Jefferson Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $209K a year in losses across Jefferson Township: $192K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Jefferson Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Jefferson Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Jefferson 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: Washington County.The storms Jefferson Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Jefferson Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Washington County has had 11 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.
Jefferson Township and its neighbors
Jefferson Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Jefferson Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Independence Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Cross Creek Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Smith Township | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township
Is Jefferson Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson Township has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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.
Is Jefferson 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 Washington County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Jefferson Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jefferson Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Jefferson Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Jefferson Township’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jefferson Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Jefferson 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.