Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Bethel Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethel Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 57 claims here since 1978.
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 Bethel 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 Bethel Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bethel Township, and Bethel Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bethel Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $258K a year in losses across Bethel Township: $236K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bethel Township flood? Sometimes: 57 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bethel Township, from FEMA’s records: 100.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan11 claims · $313K
- Tropical Storm Lee6 claims · $155K
Bethel 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: Armstrong County.The storms Bethel Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Armstrong County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bethel Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199615 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Armstrong County
- 200412 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Armstrong County
- 20116 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Armstrong County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bethel Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bethel Township archive →Bethel Township and its neighbors
Bethel Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kittanning Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Bethel Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| South Buffalo Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Manor Township | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Gilpin Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Parks Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Burrell Township | — | 482 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cadogan Township | — | 290 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 Bethel 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 Bethel Township
Is Bethel Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethel Township has higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Bethel Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 57 claims in Bethel Township since 1978, $1.7M in all, or 100.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 8 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (11).
Is Bethel 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 Armstrong County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bethel Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bethel 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 Bethel Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 11 paid, $313K.
Is Bethel Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Bethel Township’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bethel Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bethel 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.