Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Connellsville than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Connellsville gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #997 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 45 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 Connellsville’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Connellsville 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 Connellsville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Connellsville, and Connellsville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D #997 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Connellsville’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, Connellsville has more expected damage per building than 96% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Connellsville: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Connellsville flood? Sometimes: 45 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Connellsville, from FEMA’s records: 12.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Connellsville 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 Connellsville remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Fayette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Connellsville itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199617 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Fayette County
- 20168 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared for Fayette County
- 19783 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Connellsville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Connellsville archive →Connellsville and its neighbors
Connellsville is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunbar Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Connellsville Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| South Connellsville | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Connellsville | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
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 Connellsville 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 Connellsville
Is Connellsville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Connellsville has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #997 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Connellsville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 45 claims in Connellsville since 1978, $511K in all, or 12.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Connellsville 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 Connellsville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Connellsville’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Connellsville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Connellsville’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Connellsville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Connellsville’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.