Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Watts Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Watts Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1979.
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 Watts 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 Watts Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Watts Township, and Watts Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts).
B− higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Watts Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $415K a year in losses across Watts Township: $312K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Watts Township flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Watts Township, from FEMA’s records: 19.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $49K
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $7K
Watts 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: Perry County.The storms Watts Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Perry County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Watts Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19844 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20044 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Perry County
- 19963 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Fran, declared for Perry County
Perry County has had 16 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 Watts Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Watts Township archive →Watts Township and its neighbors
Watts Township is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Wheatfield Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Watts Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Buffalo Township | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Penn Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 254 |
| Reed Township | — | 195 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| New Buffalo | — | 48 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Miller Township | — | 993 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 Watts 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 Watts Township
Is Watts Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Watts Township has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) 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 Watts Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Watts Township since 1979, $111K in all, or 19.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (4).
Is Watts 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 Perry County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Watts Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Watts 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 Watts Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 4 paid, $49K.
Is Watts Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Watts Township’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Watts Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Watts 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.