FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Otto Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Otto Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Otto 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 Otto Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Otto Township, and Otto Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Otto Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $558K a year in losses across Otto Township: $475K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Otto Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Otto Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Otto 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 Otto Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for McKean County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Otto Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Otto Township and its neighbors
Otto Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foster Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Eldred Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Otto Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Keating Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Otto 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 Otto Township
Is Otto Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Otto Township has higher expected damage per building than 56% 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.
Is Otto 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 Otto Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Otto Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Otto Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Otto Township’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Otto Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Otto 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.