Natural hazards · Athens

Athens, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Athens comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1981.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Athens?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Athens to be higher than in 69% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding84%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Athens faces

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

Inland flooding

84% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Athens flood?

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

15paid claims since 1981

$399Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19812026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Fred: 1 claim, $69K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Athens County.

Disasters that hit Athens

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into AthensDeclared for Athens County only

Athens County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Athens

Athens and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Dovermostly inland floodingVery high

Athensmostly inland floodingHigh

Alexandermostly inland floodingModerate

Canaanmostly inland floodingModerate

Waterloomostly inland floodingVery low

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. Athens covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Athens’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Athens. 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 Athens total about $11.1M 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.