Mount Vernon Furnace · Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Bullskin Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bullskin Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #747 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 13 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 Bullskin 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 Bullskin Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bullskin Township, and Bullskin Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #747 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bullskin Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bullskin Township has more expected damage per building than 72% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Bullskin Township: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bullskin Township flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bullskin Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $4K
Bullskin 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: Fayette County.The storms Bullskin Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Fayette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bullskin Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19782 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19852 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Fayette County
- 20122 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sandy, declared for Fayette County
Fayette County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bullskin Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bullskin Township archive →Bullskin Township and its neighbors
Bullskin Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Huntingdon Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Mount Pleasant Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 46 |
| Bullskin Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Connellsville Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Upper Tyrone Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Saltlick Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Springfield Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Bear Rocks | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Bullskin 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 Bullskin Township
Is Bullskin Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bullskin Township has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #747 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bullskin Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Bullskin Township since 1978, $113K in all, or 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1).
Is Bullskin 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 Fayette County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bullskin Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bullskin Township’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 Bullskin Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1 paid, $4K.
Is Bullskin Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Bullskin Township’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bullskin Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bullskin 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.