FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Brush Valley Township than in 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brush Valley Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 5 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 Brush Valley 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 Brush Valley Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brush Valley Township, and Brush Valley Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Brush Valley Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $370K a year in losses across Brush Valley Township: $307K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brush Valley Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brush Valley Township, from FEMA’s records: 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Brush Valley 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: Indiana County.The storms Brush Valley Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Indiana County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Brush Valley Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19782 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20182 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Indiana 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 Brush Valley Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brush Valley Township archive →Brush Valley Township and its neighbors
Brush Valley Township is 7th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Burrell Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Buffington Township | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| East Wheatfield Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Center Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| West Wheatfield Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Brush Valley Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Cherryhill Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
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 Brush Valley 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 Brush Valley Township
Is Brush Valley Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brush Valley Township has lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Brush Valley Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Brush Valley Township since 1978, $34K in all, or 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Brush Valley 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 Indiana County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brush Valley Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brush Valley Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Brush Valley Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Brush Valley Township’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brush Valley Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brush Valley 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.