Photo: VitaleBaby · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Belle Vernon
Belle Vernon isn’t graded for hazard risk: Belle Vernon has 923 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 102 claims here since 1978.
What Belle Vernon 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.
Does Belle Vernon flood? Yes: 102 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belle Vernon, from FEMA’s records.
Belle Vernon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fayette County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Belle Vernon
Disasters that paid out in Belle Vernon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Belle Vernon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan2 households applied for aid$674 aid approved
Fayette County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Belle Vernon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Belle Vernon archive →Belle Vernon and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rostraver Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| North Belle Vernon | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Washington Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 140 |
| Lynnwood-Pricedale | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Belle Vernon 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 Belle Vernon
Does Belle Vernon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 102 claims in Belle Vernon since 1978, $1.0M in all. 15 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Belle Vernon 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 Fayette County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Belle Vernon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Belle Vernon’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 Belle Vernon?
By FEMA money that reached Belle Vernon, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 2 households applied for aid, $674 approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belle Vernon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Belle Vernon’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.