Swedish Lutheran Parsonage · Photo: Pubdog · Public domainMore hazard damage per building is expected in Jones Township than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jones Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1989.
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 Jones 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 Jones Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jones Township, and Jones Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Jones Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Jones Township: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Jones Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1989
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jones Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Jones 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: Elk County.The storms Jones Township remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Elk County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Jones Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19891 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20101 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Elk County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Jones Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Jones Township archive →Jones Township and its neighbors
Jones 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wetmore Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| St. Marys | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Ridgway Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Jones Township | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Shippen Township | D−more damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Sergeant Township | — | 68 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Highland Township | — | 339 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 Jones 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 Jones Township
Is Jones Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jones Township has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Jones Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Jones Township since 1989, $103K in all, or 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Jones 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 Elk County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Jones Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jones Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Jones Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Jones Township’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jones Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Jones 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.