Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Orange Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orange Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 99 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 Orange 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 Orange Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Orange Township, and Orange Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Orange Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $448K a year in losses across Orange Township: $392K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Orange Township flood? Sometimes: 99 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Orange Township, from FEMA’s records: 202.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee33 claims · $1.5M
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $26K
Orange 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 Orange Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Columbia County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Orange Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201134 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Columbia County
- 200626 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Columbia County
- 199611 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, 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 Orange Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Orange Township archive →Orange Township and its neighbors
Orange Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Greenwood Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Scott Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| North Centre Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Orange Township | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 99 |
| Fishing Creek Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 100 |
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 Orange 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 Orange Township
Is Orange Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orange Township has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Orange Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 99 claims in Orange Township since 1979, $3.0M in all, or 202.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (33).
Is Orange 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 Orange Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Orange 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 Orange Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 33 paid, $1.5M.
Is Orange Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Orange Township’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orange Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Orange 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.