Natural hazards · Upper

Upper, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Upper comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 41 claims here since 1978. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Upper?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Upper to be higher than in 81% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding81%Heat waves10%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Upper faces

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

Inland flooding

81% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Heat waves

10% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold 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 Upper flood?

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

41paid claims since 1978

$503Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 7 claims, $19K
Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 claim, $5K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Lawrence County.

Disasters that hit Upper

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Upper itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Township of Upper.

Brought FEMA money into UpperDeclared for Lawrence County only

2011

Severe Storms and Flooding

$16K to the Township of Upper for repairs

Lawrence County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Upper

Upper and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Irontonmostly inland floodingVery high

Uppermostly inland floodingVery high

Lawrencemostly inland floodingHigh

Perrymostly inland floodingHigh

Westwoodmostly inland floodingHigh

Russellmostly inland floodingHigh

Coal Grovemostly inland floodingModerate

Hamiltonmostly inland floodingModerate

Elizabethmostly 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. Upper covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Upper’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Upper. 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 Upper total about $7.8M 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.