Photo: Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Walker Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walker Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #859 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 13 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 Walker 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 Walker Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Walker Township, and Walker Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #859 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Walker Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Walker Township has more expected damage per building than 83% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Walker Township: $827K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Walker Township flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Walker Township, from FEMA’s records: 11.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $13K
Walker 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: Juniata County.The storms Walker Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Juniata County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Walker Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19967 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Fran, declared for Juniata County
- 20243 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Juniata County
Juniata County has had 15 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 Walker Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Walker Township archive →Walker Township and its neighbors
Walker 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Delaware Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 75 |
| Walker Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Tuscarora Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Fermanagh Township | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Milford Township | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Turbett Township | — | 920 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 Walker 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 Walker Township
Is Walker Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walker Township has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #859 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and hurricanes (9%). 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 Walker Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Walker Township since 1984, $94K in all, or 11.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Walker 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 Juniata County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Walker Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Walker 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 Walker Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $13K.
Is Walker Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Walker Township’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Walker Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Walker 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.