Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Chartiers Township than in 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chartiers Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, #489 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1992.
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 Chartiers 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 Chartiers Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chartiers Township, and Chartiers Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #489 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Chartiers Township’s residents live in 3 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, Chartiers Township has less expected damage per building than 53% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Chartiers Township: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chartiers Township flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chartiers Township, 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 Ivan5 claims · $346K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $20K
Chartiers 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: Washington County.The storms Chartiers Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Chartiers Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20045 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Washington County
- 20184 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20244 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Washington County has had 11 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 Chartiers Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chartiers Township archive →Chartiers Township and its neighbors
Chartiers Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Strabane Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| North Strabane Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Cecil Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Mount Pleasant Township | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Chartiers Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Canonsburg | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Canton Township | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Houston | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 64 |
| McGovern | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Muse | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Meadowlands | — | 495 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 Chartiers 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 Chartiers Township
Is Chartiers Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chartiers Township has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #489 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 Chartiers Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Chartiers Township since 1992, $1.8M in all, or 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (5).
Is Chartiers 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 Washington County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chartiers Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chartiers 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 Chartiers Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 5 paid, $346K.
Is Chartiers Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Chartiers Township’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chartiers Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chartiers 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.