Natural hazards · Big Spring

Big Spring, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Big Spring comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1981.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Big Spring?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Big Spring to be higher than in 37% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding63%Tornadoes11%Cold waves6%Hail6%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Big Spring faces

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

Inland flooding

63% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 51% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 19 years in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hail

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Big Spring flood?

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

9paid claims since 1981

$69Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19812026

Biggest named events

Late winter storms: 1 claim, $14K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Seneca County.

Disasters that hit Big Spring

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Big SpringDeclared for Seneca County only

Seneca County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Big Spring

Big Spring and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Biglickmostly inland floodingModerate

Crawfordmostly inland floodingModerate

Big Springmostly inland floodingLow

Senecamostly inland floodingLow

Loudonmostly inland floodingLow

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. Big Spring covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Big Spring’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Big Spring. 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 Big Spring total about $1.4M 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.