Natural hazards · Lee

Lee, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lee comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 28 claims here since 2001.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lee?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lee to be higher than in 15% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding60%Heat waves9%Tornadoes7%Strong wind6%Everything else18%

By hazard

What Lee 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

Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Heat waves

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 48 years in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold 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 Lee flood?

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

28paid claims since 2001

$298Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20012026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 3 claims, $17K
Tropical Storm Fred: 1 claim, $24K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Lee 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 Lee

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into LeeDeclared for Athens County only

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

Around Lee

Lee and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Columbiamostly inland floodingModerate

Alexandermostly inland floodingModerate

Knoxmostly inland floodingModerate

Leemostly inland floodingVery low

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. Lee covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lee’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Lee. 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 Lee total about $887K 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.