Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Cheswick faces more hazard damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cheswick gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1980.
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 Cheswick 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 Cheswick’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cheswick, and Cheswick’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Cheswick’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $772K a year in losses across Cheswick: $709K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cheswick flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cheswick, from FEMA’s records: 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $30K
Cheswick 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Cheswick
Disasters that paid out in Cheswick itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Cheswick), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan63 households applied for aid$140K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $30K
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.
Old photos of Cheswick after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cheswick archive →Cheswick and its neighbors
Cheswick is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plum | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Springdale Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Harmar Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Springdale | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Cheswick | C−more damage than 77% | 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 Cheswick 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 Cheswick
Is Cheswick at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cheswick has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Cheswick flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Cheswick since 1980, $48K in all, or 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (2).
Is Cheswick 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 Cheswick?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cheswick’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 Cheswick?
By FEMA money that reached Cheswick, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 63 households applied for aid, $140K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 2 paid, $30K.
Is Cheswick at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Cheswick’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cheswick.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cheswick’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.