Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0FEMA puts Main Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Main Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1985.
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 Main 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 Main Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Main Township, and Main Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Main Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $530K a year in losses across Main Township: $470K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Main Township flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Main Township, from FEMA’s records: 25.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $41K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $2K
Main 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: Columbia County.The storms Main Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Columbia County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Main Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20065 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Columbia County
- 19964 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Columbia County
- 20113 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Columbia County
Columbia County has had 16 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 Main Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Main Township archive →Main Township and its neighbors
Main Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| South Centre Township | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Mifflin Township | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Main Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Catawissa Township | — | 891 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Almedia | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Roaring Creek Township | — | 683 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Beaver Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Espy | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Main 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 Main Township
Is Main Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Main Township has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D 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 Main Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Main Township since 1985, $263K in all, or 25.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Main 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 Columbia County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Main Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Main 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 Main Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $41K.
Is Main Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Main Township’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Main Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Main 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.