Photo: takomabibelot Camera location40° 36′ 31.32″ N, 79° 44′ 07.9″ W View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap 40.608699; -79.735529 · CC BY 2.0FEMA puts Brackenridge’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brackenridge gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #1,028 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). Flood insurance has paid 7 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 Brackenridge 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 Brackenridge’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brackenridge, and Brackenridge’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D #1,028 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Brackenridge’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Brackenridge has more expected damage per building than 99% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Brackenridge: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brackenridge flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brackenridge, from FEMA’s records: 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $13K
Brackenridge isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Allegheny County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Brackenridge
Disasters that paid out in Brackenridge itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Brackenridge), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan11 households applied for aid$17K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $13K
Allegheny County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Brackenridge after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brackenridge archive →Brackenridge and its neighbors
Brackenridge is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Brackenridge | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Tarentum | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Natrona Heights | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Natrona | — | 869 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 Brackenridge 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 Brackenridge
Is Brackenridge at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brackenridge has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,028 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). 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 Brackenridge flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Brackenridge since 1978, $29K in all, or 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (2).
Is Brackenridge 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 Allegheny County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brackenridge?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brackenridge’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 Brackenridge?
By FEMA money that reached Brackenridge, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 11 households applied for aid, $17K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 2 paid, $13K.
Is Brackenridge at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Brackenridge’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brackenridge.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brackenridge’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.