Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Adams Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Adams Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #517 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1979.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Adams Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Adams Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Adams Township, and Adams Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #517 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Adams Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Adams Township has less expected damage per building than 50% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Adams Township: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Adams Township flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Adams Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $9K
Adams Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cambria County.The storms Adams Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cambria County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Adams Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19964 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Cambria County
- 19872 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19932 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Snowfall and Winter Storm, declared for Cambria County
Cambria County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Adams Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Adams Township archive →Adams Township and its neighbors
Adams Township is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Adams Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Summerhill Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Croyle Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Sidman | — | 305 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| St. Michael | — | 431 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Beaverdale | — | 852 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| South Fork | — | 749 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lincoln Township | — | 317 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Adams Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Adams Township
Is Adams Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Adams Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #517 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Adams Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Adams Township since 1979, $53K in all, or 4.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (1).
Is Adams Township in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Cambria County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Adams Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Adams Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Adams Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 1 paid, $9K.
Is Adams Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Adams Township’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Adams Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Adams Township’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.