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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in East St. Clair Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, East St. Clair Township faces more hazard damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East St. Clair Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #885 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 175 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 93%Hurricanes 4%Tornadoes 1%

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

more than 65%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#885 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
C#885 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · higher than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
93% of expected building damage
Flood claims
175
paid since 1978 · $1.4M
Flooded more than once
20
properties · 4 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood claims per home
111 per 1,000
more than 97% of U.S. towns

What stands out about East St. Clair Township’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

175 paid flood claims since 1978$1.4M in all; 20 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 97% of U.S. towns.Remembers 198356 flood claims were paid for 1983 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What East St. Clair 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

93%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Strong wind Wildfire Landslides top 4% Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind East St. Clair Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in East St. Clair Township, and East St. Clair Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Where East St. Clair Township sits
East St. Clair Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #885 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of East St. Clair Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding93%Hurricanes4%Everything else3%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, East St. Clair Township has more expected damage per building than 85% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across East St. Clair Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of East St. Clair Township’s 2,908 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with West St. Clair township (1,658 residents) and Pleasantville borough (191 residents) and St. Clairsville borough (76 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does East St. Clair Township flood? Yes: 175 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in East St. Clair Township, from FEMA’s records: 111.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 3 claims1980: 1 claim1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 56 claims1984: 8 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 3 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 3 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 13 claims1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 37 claims1997: 10 claims1998: 3 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 10 claims2004: 6 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 3 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 2 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 4 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 3 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 5 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198319931996
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ida5 claims · $57K
  • Hurricane Sandy2 claims · $12K
  • The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $4K
175
paid claims since 1978
$1.4M
paid to owners
20
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (4)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

East St. Clair 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: Bedford County.
Disasters

The storms East St. Clair Township remembers

None of the 16 disasters declared for Bedford County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching East St. Clair Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 198356 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  2. 199637 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, Severe Storms, declared for Bedford County
  3. 199313 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Snowfall and Winter Storm, declared for Bedford County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in East St. Clair TownshipBedford County only

Bedford County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of East St. Clair Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the East St. Clair Township archive →
Next door

East St. Clair Township and its neighbors

East St. Clair Township is 5th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

West St. Clair Township: hazard risk CBedford Township: hazard risk B−King Township: hazard risk B−South Woodbury Township: hazard risk DNapier Township: hazard risk C+West St. Clair TownshipBedford TownshipKing TownshipSouth Woodbury TownshipNapier TownshipEast St. Clair Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Bedford TownshipB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding427
King TownshipB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding—
Napier TownshipC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding3
West St. Clair TownshipCmore damage than 65%river and rain flooding47
East St. Clair TownshipCmore damage than 65%river and rain flooding175
South Woodbury TownshipDmore damage than 85%river and rain flooding3

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what East St. Clair 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in East St. Clair Township

Is East St. Clair Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East St. Clair Township has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #885 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 East St. Clair Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 175 claims in East St. Clair Township since 1978, $1.4M in all, or 111.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 20 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (5).

Is East St. Clair 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 Bedford County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in East St. Clair Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for East St. Clair 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 East St. Clair Township?

By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 5 paid, $57K.

Is East St. Clair Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and East St. Clair Township’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in East St. Clair Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where East St. Clair 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.