Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Bradford Woods, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bradford Woods gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Bradford Woods 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
Tornadoes
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 Bradford Woods’ grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bradford Woods, and Bradford Woods’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 5% (lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bradford Woods’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $192K a year in losses across Bradford Woods: $148K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bradford Woods flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bradford Woods. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bradford Woods 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.The storms Bradford Woods remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Allegheny County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bradford Woods itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Bradford Woods and its neighbors
Bradford Woods has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford Woods | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Marshall Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Bradford Woods 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Bradford Woods
Is Bradford Woods at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bradford Woods has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%) and tornadoes (5%). 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.
Is Bradford Woods 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 Bradford Woods?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bradford Woods’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Bradford Woods at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Bradford Woods’ rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bradford Woods.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bradford Woods’ 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.