Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Blacklick Township than in 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blacklick Township 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 (87%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1982.
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 Blacklick 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 Blacklick Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Blacklick Township, and Blacklick Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Blacklick Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $380K a year in losses across Blacklick Township: $313K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Blacklick Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Blacklick Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Blacklick 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 Blacklick Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cambria County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Blacklick Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Blacklick Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Blacklick Township archive →Blacklick Township and its neighbors
Blacklick Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambria Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Jackson Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Barr Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Blacklick Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Nanty-Glo | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Twin Rocks | — | 238 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Vintondale | — | 390 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 Blacklick 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 Blacklick Township
Is Blacklick Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blacklick Township 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 (87%). 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 Blacklick Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Blacklick Township since 1982, $5K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Blacklick 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 Blacklick Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Blacklick Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Blacklick Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Blacklick Township’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Blacklick Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Blacklick 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.