FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Dormont than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dormont gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #29 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2013.
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 Dormont 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
Earthquakes
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 Dormont’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dormont, and Dormont’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 7% (lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #29 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dormont’s residents live in 4 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, Dormont has less expected damage per building than 97% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $986K a year in losses across Dormont: $659K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dormont flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dormont, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Dormont 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.The storms Dormont remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Allegheny County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dormont itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20132 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Allegheny County
- 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Dormont after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dormont archive →Dormont and its neighbors
Dormont has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dormont | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Mount Lebanon | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Pittsburgh | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 447 |
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 Dormont 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Dormont
Is Dormont at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dormont has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #29 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and earthquakes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dormont flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Dormont since 2013, $11K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Dormont 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 Dormont?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dormont’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Dormont at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Dormont’s rate for it is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dormont.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dormont’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.