Photo: Nyttend · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Sylvania Township
Sylvania Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Sylvania Township has 60 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2004.
What Sylvania 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.
Does Sylvania Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sylvania Township, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $4K
Sylvania 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: Potter County.The storms Sylvania Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Potter County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sylvania Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Potter County
Potter County has had 10 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 Sylvania Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sylvania Township archive →Sylvania Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homer Township | — | 483 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Portage Township | — | 180 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Wharton Township | — | 93 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Austin | — | 606 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Summit Township | — | 139 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 Sylvania 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 Sylvania Township
Does Sylvania Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Sylvania Township since 2004, $4K in all. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (1).
Is Sylvania 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 Potter County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sylvania Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sylvania 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 Sylvania Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 paid, $4K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sylvania Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sylvania 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.