On FEMA’s figures, Barr Township faces less hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barr Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 3 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 Barr 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
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
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 Barr Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Barr Township, and Barr Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Barr Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $377K a year in losses across Barr Township: $301K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Barr Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Barr Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Barr 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 Barr Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cambria County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Barr Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, 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 Barr Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Barr Township archive →Barr Township and its neighbors
Barr Township is 4th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambria Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| West Carroll Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Susquehanna Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 494 |
| Barr Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Pine Township | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Blacklick Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Northern Cambria | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
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 Barr 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Barr Township
Is Barr Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barr Township has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (6%). 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 Barr Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Barr Township since 1979, $3K in all, or 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Barr 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 Barr Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Barr Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Barr Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Barr Township’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Barr Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Barr 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.