On FEMA’s figures, Union Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 25 claims here since 1984.
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 Union 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
Hurricanes
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 Union Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Union Township, and Union Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).
B lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Union Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $388K a year in losses across Union Township: $292K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Union Township flood? Sometimes: 25 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Union Township, from FEMA’s records: 53.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee7 claims · $244K
- Tropical Storm Ivan6 claims · $140K
Union 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: Snyder County.The storms Union Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Snyder County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Union Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20118 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Snyder County
- 20046 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Snyder County
- 19964 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Snyder County
Snyder County has had 13 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 Union Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Union Township archive →Union Township and its neighbors
Union Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapman Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Washington Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Union Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Penn Township | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lower Augusta Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Lower Mahanoy Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Port Trevorton | — | 687 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Jackson Township | — | 825 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Herndon | — | 366 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 Union 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Union Township
Is Union Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Township has lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Union Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 25 claims in Union Township since 1984, $530K in all, or 53.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (7).
Is Union 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 Snyder County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Union Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Union 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 Union Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 7 paid, $244K.
Is Union Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Union Township’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Union Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Union 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.