Photo: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Cranberry Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cranberry Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 40 claims here since 1981.
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 Cranberry Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Cranberry 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 Cranberry Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cranberry Township, and Cranberry Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
A #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cranberry Township’s residents live in 8 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, Cranberry Township has less expected damage per building than 83% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.9M a year in losses across Cranberry Township: $6.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cranberry Township flood? Sometimes: 40 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cranberry Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan3 claims · $46K
Cranberry 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: Butler County.The storms Cranberry Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Butler County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cranberry Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199610 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Butler County
- 20199 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19815 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Butler County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Cranberry Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cranberry Township archive →Cranberry Township and its neighbors
Cranberry Township is 2nd of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Cranberry Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| New Sewickley Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Seven Fields | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Adams Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Jackson Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 244 |
| Economy | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
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 Cranberry 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 Cranberry Township
Is Cranberry Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cranberry Township has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cranberry Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 40 claims in Cranberry Township since 1981, $385K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (3).
Is Cranberry 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 Butler County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cranberry Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cranberry 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 Cranberry Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 3 paid, $46K.
Is Cranberry Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Cranberry Township’s rate for it is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cranberry Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cranberry 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.