Photo: Publichall · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Ebensburg, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ebensburg gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #7 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim 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 Ebensburg 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
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
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 Ebensburg’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ebensburg, and Ebensburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #7 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ebensburg’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, Ebensburg has less expected damage per building than 99% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $479K a year in losses across Ebensburg: $358K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ebensburg flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ebensburg, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ebensburg isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cambria County.The storms Ebensburg remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cambria County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ebensburg itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20131 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cambria County has had 15 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.
Old photos of Ebensburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ebensburg archive →Get ready for what Ebensburg 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Ebensburg
Is Ebensburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ebensburg has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #7 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (8%). 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 Ebensburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Ebensburg since 2013, $28K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ebensburg 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 Cambria County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ebensburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ebensburg’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ebensburg at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Ebensburg’s rate for it is lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ebensburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ebensburg’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.