Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Upper Turkeyfoot Township than in 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Turkeyfoot Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1986.
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 Upper Turkeyfoot 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 Upper Turkeyfoot Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Upper Turkeyfoot Township, and Upper Turkeyfoot Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Upper Turkeyfoot Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $439K a year in losses across Upper Turkeyfoot Township: $392K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Upper Turkeyfoot Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Upper Turkeyfoot Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Upper Turkeyfoot 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: Somerset County.The storms Upper Turkeyfoot Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Somerset County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Upper Turkeyfoot Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19962 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Somerset County
- 19861 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Somerset County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Upper Turkeyfoot Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Upper Turkeyfoot Township archive →Upper Turkeyfoot Township and its neighbors
Upper Turkeyfoot Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Turkeyfoot Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Milford Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Springfield Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Lower Turkeyfoot Township | — | 470 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Addison Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Black Township | — | 849 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Middlecreek Township | — | 682 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Casselman | — | 79 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 Upper Turkeyfoot 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 Upper Turkeyfoot Township
Is Upper Turkeyfoot Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Turkeyfoot Township has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Upper Turkeyfoot Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Upper Turkeyfoot Township since 1986, $22K in all, or 4.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Upper Turkeyfoot 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 Somerset County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Upper Turkeyfoot Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Upper Turkeyfoot Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Upper Turkeyfoot Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Upper Turkeyfoot Township’s rate for it is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Upper Turkeyfoot Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Upper Turkeyfoot 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.