Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Mifflin Township than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mifflin Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1979.
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 Mifflin 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 Mifflin Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mifflin Township, and Mifflin Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Mifflin Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $897K a year in losses across Mifflin Township: $788K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mifflin Township flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mifflin Township, from FEMA’s records: 19.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee4 claims · $119K
- Tropical Storm Ivan3 claims · $45K
- Hurricane Debby1 claim · $45K
Mifflin 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 Mifflin Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Columbia County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mifflin Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19966 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Columbia County
- 20114 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Columbia County
- 20043 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, 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 Mifflin Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mifflin Township archive →Mifflin Township and its neighbors
Mifflin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nescopeck | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Berwick | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| 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 |
| Beaver Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Mifflinville | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Briar Creek | — | 828 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lime Ridge | — | 842 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 Mifflin 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 Mifflin Township
Is Mifflin Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mifflin Township has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Mifflin Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Mifflin Township since 1979, $366K in all, or 19.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (4).
Is Mifflin 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 Mifflin Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mifflin 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 Mifflin Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 4 paid, $119K.
Is Mifflin Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Mifflin Township’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mifflin Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mifflin 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.