Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Lafayette Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lafayette Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1981.
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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lafayette Township, and Lafayette Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lafayette Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $603K a year in losses across Lafayette Township: $515K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lafayette Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lafayette Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Lafayette 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: McKean County.The storms Lafayette Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for McKean County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lafayette Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
McKean County has had 10 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.
Old photos of Lafayette Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lafayette Township archive →Lafayette Township and its neighbors
Lafayette Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wetmore Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lafayette Township | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bradford Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Keating Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Lewis Run | — | 570 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Hamlin Township | — | 780 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Hamilton Township | — | 432 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Corydon Township | — | 240 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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette Township
Is Lafayette Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lafayette Township has higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lafayette Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Lafayette Township since 1981, $341 in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Lafayette 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 McKean County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lafayette Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lafayette Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Lafayette Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Lafayette Township’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lafayette Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lafayette 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.