Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Big Beaver’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Big Beaver gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1996.
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 Big Beaver 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 Big Beaver’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Big Beaver, and Big Beaver’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Big Beaver’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $620K a year in losses across Big Beaver: $588K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Big Beaver flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Big Beaver, from FEMA’s records: 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Big Beaver isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Beaver County.The storms Big Beaver remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Beaver County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Big Beaver itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20042 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Beaver County
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, Severe Storms, declared for Beaver County
Beaver County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Big Beaver after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Big Beaver archive →Big Beaver and its neighbors
Big Beaver is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewa Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| West Mayfield | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Big Beaver | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Beaver Falls | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| North Sewickley Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 127 |
| Darlington Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| New Beaver | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Koppel | — | 759 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 Big Beaver 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 Big Beaver
Is Big Beaver at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Big Beaver has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). 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 Big Beaver flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Big Beaver since 1996, $17K in all, or 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Big Beaver 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 Beaver County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Big Beaver?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Big Beaver’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Big Beaver at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Big Beaver’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Big Beaver.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Big Beaver’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.