Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Woodward Township than in 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodward Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #186 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 65 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 stands out about Woodward Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Woodward 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
Strong wind
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 Woodward Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Woodward Township, and Woodward Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Next is strong wind at 5% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).
A #186 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Woodward 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, Woodward Township has less expected damage per building than 82% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $558K a year in losses across Woodward Township: $390K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Woodward Township flood? Sometimes: 65 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Woodward Township, from FEMA’s records: 73.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan18 claims · $428K
Woodward 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: Clearfield County.The storms Woodward Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Clearfield County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Woodward Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200419 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Clearfield County
- 199617 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Clearfield County
- 198416 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Clearfield County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Woodward Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Woodward Township archive →Woodward Township and its neighbors
Woodward Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulich Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Woodward Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 65 |
| Boggs Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Rush Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Decatur Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Bigler Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Knox Township | — | 639 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Brisbin | — | 326 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 Woodward 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Woodward Township
Is Woodward Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodward Township has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #186 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and strong wind (5%). 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 Woodward Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 65 claims in Woodward Township since 1979, $707K in all, or 73.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 10 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (18).
Is Woodward 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 Clearfield County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Woodward Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodward 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 Woodward Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 18 paid, $428K.
Is Woodward Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Woodward Township’s rate for it is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodward Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodward 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.