Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Polk
Polk isn’t graded for hazard risk: Polk has 615 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 2006.
What Polk 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.
Does Polk flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Polk, from FEMA’s records.
Polk isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Venango County.The storms Polk remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Venango County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Polk itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200615 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20151 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20171 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Venango County has had 12 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 Polk after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Polk archive →Polk and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandycreek Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Frenchcreek Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Victory Township | — | 411 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 Polk 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 Polk
Does Polk flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Polk since 2006, $238K in all.
Is Polk 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 Venango County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Polk?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Polk’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Polk.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Polk’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.