Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Armstrong Township than in 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Armstrong Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #965 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 31 claims here since 1980.
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 Armstrong 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 Armstrong Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Armstrong Township, and Armstrong Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #965 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Armstrong 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, Armstrong Township has more expected damage per building than 93% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Armstrong Township: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Armstrong Township flood? Sometimes: 31 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Armstrong Township, from FEMA’s records: 26.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan9 claims · $338K
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $235K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $5K
Armstrong 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: Indiana County.The storms Armstrong Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Indiana County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Armstrong Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199610 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Indiana County
- 20049 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Indiana County
- 19843 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Indiana 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 Armstrong Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Armstrong Township archive →Armstrong Township and its neighbors
Armstrong Township is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Center Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Young Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Plumcreek Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Washington Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
| Armstrong Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Jacksonville | — | 680 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 Armstrong 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 Armstrong Township
Is Armstrong Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Armstrong Township has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #965 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Armstrong Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 31 claims in Armstrong Township since 1980, $825K in all, or 26.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (9).
Is Armstrong 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 Indiana County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Armstrong Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Armstrong 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 Armstrong Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 9 paid, $338K.
Is Armstrong Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Armstrong Township’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Armstrong Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Armstrong 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.