Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Dunbar Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dunbar Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #813 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2000.
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 Dunbar 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 Dunbar Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dunbar Township, and Dunbar Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #813 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dunbar Township’s residents live in 3 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, Dunbar Township has more expected damage per building than 78% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Dunbar Township: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dunbar Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dunbar Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Dunbar 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: Fayette County.The storms Dunbar Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Fayette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dunbar Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20002 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 Dunbar Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dunbar Township archive →Dunbar Township and its neighbors
Dunbar Township is 3rd of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Union Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Franklin Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| 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 | — |
| Upper Tyrone Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Springfield Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Lower Tyrone Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Connellsville | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Stewart Township | — | 613 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Dawson | — | 388 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 Dunbar 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 Dunbar Township
Is Dunbar Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dunbar Township has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #813 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dunbar Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Dunbar Township since 2000, $4K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Dunbar 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 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 Dunbar Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dunbar Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Dunbar Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Dunbar Township’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dunbar Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dunbar 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.