Photo: Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0Kelly Township’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kelly Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #832 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1996.
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 Kelly 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
Strong wind
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 Kelly Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kelly Township, and Kelly Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 7%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #832 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kelly Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kelly Township has more expected damage per building than 80% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Kelly Township: $957K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kelly Township flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kelly Township, from FEMA’s records: 12.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan5 claims · $117K
- Tropical Storm Lee3 claims · $53K
- Hurricane Debby2 claims · $45K
Kelly 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: Union County.The storms Kelly Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Union County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kelly 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 Union County
- 19994 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Dennis Pa, declared for Union County
- 20114 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Union County
Union County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Kelly Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kelly Township archive →Kelly Township and its neighbors
Kelly Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Kelly Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| West Chillisquaque Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 155 |
| Lewisburg | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 287 |
| Milton | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 378 |
| White Deer Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 64 |
| West Milton | — | 804 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 Kelly 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Kelly Township
Is Kelly Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kelly Township has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #832 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and strong wind (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kelly Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Kelly Township since 1996, $284K in all, or 12.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (5).
Is Kelly 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 Union County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kelly Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kelly 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 Kelly Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 5 paid, $117K.
Is Kelly Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Kelly Township’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kelly Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kelly 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.