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South Franklin VFDPhoto: Niteshift36 · CC BY-SA 3.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in South Franklin Township · FEMA

FEMA puts South Franklin Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Franklin Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #318 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2004.

River and rain flooding 92%Hail 3%Tornadoes 2%

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

less than 86%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#318 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
A#318 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 86% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 2004 · $107K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Flood claims per home
7 per 1,000
more than 66% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What South Franklin 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

92%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Hurricanes Landslides top 4% Lightning Wildfire Ice storms Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind South Franklin Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in South Franklin Township, and South Franklin Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Where South Franklin Township sits
South Franklin Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #318 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of South Franklin Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Hail3%Everything else5%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, South Franklin Township has less expected damage per building than 69% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $556K a year in losses across South Franklin Township: $512K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of South Franklin Township’s 2,868 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Green Hills borough (20 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does South Franklin Township flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in South Franklin Township, from FEMA’s records: 6.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 5 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420112024
20042026
9
paid claims since 2004
$107K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$12K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

South Franklin 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.
Disasters

The storms South Franklin Township remembers

None of the 11 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching South Franklin Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20245 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  2. 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Washington County
  3. 20111 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in South Franklin TownshipWashington County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of South Franklin Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the South Franklin Township archive →
Next door

South Franklin Township and its neighbors

South Franklin Township is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Amwell Township: hazard risk C+Buffalo Township: hazard risk A−East Finley Township: hazard risk C+Green Hills: not gradedMorris Township: not gradedNorth Franklin Township: hazard risk AAmwell TownshipBuffalo TownshipEast Finley TownshipGreen HillsMorris TownshipNorth Franklin TownshipSouth Franklin Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
North Franklin TownshipAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding11
South Franklin TownshipAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding9
Buffalo TownshipA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding—
East Finley TownshipC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding3
Amwell TownshipC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding5
Green Hills—0 residents; we grade 1,000+
Morris Township—886 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what South Franklin 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in South Franklin Township

Is South Franklin Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Franklin Township has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #318 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 South Franklin Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in South Franklin Township since 2004, $107K in all, or 6.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is South Franklin 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 South Franklin Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for South Franklin Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is South Franklin Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and South Franklin Township’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Franklin Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where South Franklin 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.