Natural hazards · Ohio

Ohio, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ohio comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 21 claims here since 1997.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Ohio?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ohio to be higher than in 80% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding60%Tornadoes20%Strong wind7%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Ohio faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

60% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

20% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Ohio flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ohio, from FEMA’s records.

21paid claims since 1997

$694Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19972026

Biggest named events

Mid-spring storms: 2 claims, $111K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Ohio isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Crawford County.

Disasters that hit Ohio

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Crawford County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ohio itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into OhioDeclared for Crawford County only

Crawford County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Ohio

Ohio and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Ohiomostly inland floodingVery high

Boonemostly inland floodingVery high

Jenningsmostly inland floodingVery high

Unionmostly inland floodingVery high

Altonmostly inland floodingVery high

Sterlingmostly inland floodingHigh

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Ohio covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ohio’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Ohio. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Ohio total about $1.5M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.