Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Smith Township faces more hazard damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Smith Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #900 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2004.
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 Smith 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 Smith Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Smith Township, and Smith Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
C #900 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Smith Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Smith Township has more expected damage per building than 87% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Smith Township: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Smith Township flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Smith Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida8 claims · $262K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $10K
Smith 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: Washington County.The storms Smith Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Smith Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20218 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Washington County
Washington County has had 11 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 Smith Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Smith Township archive →Smith Township and its neighbors
Smith Township is 6th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Jefferson Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Mount Pleasant Township | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Robinson Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Cross Creek Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Smith Township | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Midway | — | 837 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bulger | — | 119 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 Smith 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 Smith Township
Is Smith Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Smith Township has higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #900 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. 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.
Does Smith Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Smith Township since 2004, $273K in all, or 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (8).
Is Smith 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 Washington County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Smith Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Smith 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 Smith Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 8 paid, $262K.
Is Smith Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Smith Township’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Smith Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Smith 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.