Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Cooper Township faces less hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cooper Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #99 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2010.
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 Cooper 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
Strong wind
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 Cooper Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cooper Township, and Cooper Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Next is strong wind at 7% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #99 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Cooper Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Cooper Township has less expected damage per building than 91% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $406K a year in losses across Cooper Township: $298K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cooper Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2010
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cooper Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Cooper 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: Clearfield County.The storms Cooper Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Clearfield County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cooper Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20101 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 Cooper Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cooper Township archive →Cooper Township and its neighbors
Cooper Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graham Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Morris Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Cooper Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Snow Shoe Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rush Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Karthaus Township | — | 762 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Burnside Township | — | 407 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Winburne | — | 576 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lanse | — | 149 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Covington Township | — | 388 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Casanova | — | 227 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 Cooper 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Cooper Township
Is Cooper Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cooper Township has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #99 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and strong wind (7%). 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 Cooper Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Cooper Township since 2010, $8K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Cooper 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 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 Cooper Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cooper Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Cooper Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Cooper Township’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cooper Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cooper 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.