Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Aspinwall faces more hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aspinwall gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (99%). Flood insurance has paid 8 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 Aspinwall 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 Aspinwall’s grade
River and rain flooding is 99% of the building damage FEMA expects in Aspinwall, and Aspinwall’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #1,036 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Aspinwall’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, Aspinwall has more expected damage per building than 100% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Aspinwall: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Aspinwall flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Aspinwall, from FEMA’s records: 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $14K
Aspinwall isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Allegheny County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Aspinwall
Disasters that paid out in Aspinwall itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Aspinwall), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan5 households applied for aid$10K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $14K
Allegheny County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Aspinwall after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Aspinwall archive →Aspinwall and its neighbors
Aspinwall is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Chapel | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| O'Hara Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Pittsburgh | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 447 |
| Sharpsburg | D−more damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 78 |
| Aspinwall | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
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 Aspinwall 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 Aspinwall
Is Aspinwall at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aspinwall has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (99%). 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 Aspinwall flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Aspinwall since 1980, $32K in all, or 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (2).
Is Aspinwall 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 Allegheny County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Aspinwall?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Aspinwall’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 Aspinwall?
By FEMA money that reached Aspinwall, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 5 households applied for aid, $10K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 2 paid, $14K.
Is Aspinwall at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (99%), and Aspinwall’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Aspinwall.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Aspinwall’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.