Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Madison Township than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Madison Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2018.
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 Madison 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 Madison Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Madison Township, and Madison Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Madison Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $407K a year in losses across Madison Township: $351K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Madison Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2018
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Madison Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Madison 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: Clarion County.The storms Madison Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Clarion County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Madison Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Clarion County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Madison Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Madison Township archive →Madison Township and its neighbors
Madison Township is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porter Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 88 |
| Madison Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Madison Township | — | 991 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Perry Township | — | 292 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Rimersburg | — | not graded yet | |
| Bradys Bend Township | — | 757 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Toby Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Washington Township | — | 703 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Brady Township | — | 73 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 Madison 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 Madison Township
Is Madison Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Madison Township has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− 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 Madison Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Madison Township since 2018, $18K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Madison 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 Clarion County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Madison Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Madison Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Madison Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Madison Township’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Madison Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Madison 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.