Photo: White Feather Safari Inspecting Life · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Conemaugh Township than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Conemaugh Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #131 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 36 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 stands out about Conemaugh Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Conemaugh 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 Conemaugh Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Conemaugh Township, and Conemaugh Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
A #131 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Conemaugh 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, Conemaugh Township has less expected damage per building than 87% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Conemaugh Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Conemaugh Township flood? Sometimes: 36 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Conemaugh Township, from FEMA’s records: 10.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $12K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $6K
Conemaugh 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: Somerset County.The storms Conemaugh Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Somerset County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Conemaugh Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199616 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Somerset County
- 19784 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20083 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Somerset County has had 17 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 Conemaugh Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Conemaugh Township archive →Conemaugh Township and its neighbors
Conemaugh Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Paint Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Upper Yoder Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Conemaugh Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Stonycreek Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Quemahoning Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Jenner Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Fairfield Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Benson | — | 157 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Belmont | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Jerome | — | 611 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 Conemaugh 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 Conemaugh Township
Is Conemaugh Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Conemaugh Township has lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #131 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Conemaugh Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 36 claims in Conemaugh Township since 1978, $452K in all, or 10.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1).
Is Conemaugh 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 Somerset County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Conemaugh Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Conemaugh 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 Conemaugh Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1 paid, $12K.
Is Conemaugh Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Conemaugh Township’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Conemaugh Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Conemaugh 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.