Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Sullivan Township than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sullivan Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1994.
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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sullivan Township, and Sullivan Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sullivan Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $581K a year in losses across Sullivan Township: $524K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sullivan Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1994
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sullivan 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.
Sullivan 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: Tioga County.The storms Sullivan Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Tioga County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sullivan Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19941 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Thunderstorms, High Winds,rain, Flooding, declared for Tioga County
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Tioga County
Tioga County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Sullivan Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sullivan Township archive →Sullivan Township and its neighbors
Sullivan Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covington Township | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sullivan Township | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Columbia Township | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Ward Township | — | 157 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Rutland Township | — | 620 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan Township
Is Sullivan Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sullivan Township has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Sullivan Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Sullivan Township since 1994, $6K in all, or 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sullivan 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 Tioga County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sullivan Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sullivan Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sullivan Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Sullivan Township’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sullivan Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sullivan 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.