–Not graded

Natural hazards in Tell Township · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Tell Township

Tell Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Tell Township has 551 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1996.

Flood claims

paid since 1996 · $5K

Disasters paid out here

of 13 declared for Huntingdon County

By hazard

What Tell 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

88%of expected building damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

5%of expected building damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Smaller shares here

Tornadoes Strong wind Hail Earthquakes Wildfire Ice storms Landslides top 3% Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning

FEMA models no building damage here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts strong wind at 18% of Tell Township’s expected losses. Strong wind does little damage to buildings (1.9%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Tell Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tell Township, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year

19962014

19962026

paid claims since 1996

$5K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$2K

average claim

of homes in flood zones are insured

of all homes are insured

No community discount

Tell 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: Huntingdon County.

Disasters

The storms Tell Township remembers

None of the 13 disasters declared for Huntingdon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Tell Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

19962 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Fran, declared for Huntingdon County
20141 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in Tell TownshipHuntingdon County only

Huntingdon County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Tell Township archive →

Next door

Tell Township and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Cromwell TownshipShirley TownshipFannett TownshipLack TownshipDublin TownshipTell Township

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)	Flood claims
Fannett Township	B⁺less damage than 68%	river and rain flooding	1
Dublin Township	B⁻more damage than 52%	river and rain flooding	1
Shirley Township	C⁻more damage than 78%	river and rain flooding	41
Cromwell Township	C⁻more damage than 81%	river and rain flooding	11
Lack Township	—	629 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 Tell 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.

Questions about natural hazards in Tell Township

Does Tell Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Tell Township since 1996, $5K in all.

Is Tell 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 Huntingdon County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Tell Township?

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

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tell Township.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

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

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