Natural hazards · Defiance

Defiance, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Defiance comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 87 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Defiance?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Defiance to be higher than in 79% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding75%Tornadoes12%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Defiance faces

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

Inland flooding

75% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat 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 Defiance flood?

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

87paid claims since 1978

$399Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Defiance County.

Disasters that hit Defiance

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into DefianceDeclared for Defiance County only

Defiance County has had 6 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Defiance

Defiance and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Defiancemostly inland floodingHigh

Richlandmostly inland floodingHigh

Auglaizemostly inland floodingModerate

Noblemostly inland floodingModerate

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. Defiance covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Defiance’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Defiance. 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 Defiance total about $4.0M 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.