Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Shippen Township faces more hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shippen Township gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 36 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 Shippen 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 Shippen Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shippen Township, and Shippen Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Shippen Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Shippen Township: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shippen Township flood? Sometimes: 36 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shippen Township, from FEMA’s records: 29.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Debby2 claims · $96K
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $68K
Shippen 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: Cameron County.The storms Shippen Township remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Cameron County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Shippen Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199610 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Cameron County
- 19845 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20105 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cameron County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Shippen Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shippen Township archive →Shippen Township and its neighbors
Shippen Township is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Marys | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Jones Township | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Shippen Township | D−more damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Portage Township | — | 131 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lumber Township | — | 170 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Benezette Township | — | 127 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Norwich Township | — | 502 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Gibson Township | — | 117 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Sergeant Township | — | 68 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 Shippen 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 Shippen Township
Is Shippen Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shippen Township has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Shippen Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 36 claims in Shippen Township since 1979, $582K in all, or 29.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Debby (2).
Is Shippen 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 Cameron County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Shippen Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shippen 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 Shippen Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Debby: 2 paid, $96K.
Is Shippen Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Shippen Township’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shippen Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shippen 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.