Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Chester Hill
Chester Hill isn’t graded for hazard risk: Chester Hill has 788 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1978.
What Chester Hill 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.
Does Chester Hill flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chester Hill, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $5K
Chester Hill isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clearfield County.The storms Chester Hill remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Clearfield County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Chester Hill itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201810 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Clearfield County has had 14 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 Chester Hill after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chester Hill archive →Chester Hill and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Decatur Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Philipsburg | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| South Philipsburg | — | 397 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 Chester Hill 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 Chester Hill
Does Chester Hill flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Chester Hill since 1978, $538K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (1).
Is Chester Hill 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 Clearfield County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chester Hill?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chester Hill’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 Chester Hill?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 paid, $5K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chester Hill.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chester Hill’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.