Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Elizabeth than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elizabeth gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (99%). Flood insurance has paid 48 claims here since 1978.
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 Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth’s grade
River and rain flooding is 99% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Elizabeth’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $961K a year in losses across Elizabeth: $865K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Elizabeth flood? Sometimes: 48 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elizabeth, from FEMA’s records: 73.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $4K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $7K
Elizabeth 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Elizabeth
Disasters that paid out in Elizabeth itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Elizabeth), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan11 households applied for aid$25K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $7K
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 Elizabeth after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elizabeth archive →Elizabeth and its neighbors
Elizabeth is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Hills | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 58 |
| Elizabeth Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 151 |
| Forward Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 160 |
| Elizabeth | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 48 |
| West Elizabeth | — | 344 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Blaine Hill | — | 587 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 Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth
Is Elizabeth at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elizabeth has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (99%). 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 Elizabeth flood?
Flood insurance has paid 48 claims in Elizabeth since 1978, $390K in all, or 73.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1).
Is Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elizabeth’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 Elizabeth?
By FEMA money that reached Elizabeth, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 11 households applied for aid, $25K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1 paid, $4K.
Is Elizabeth at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (99%), and Elizabeth’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elizabeth.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elizabeth’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.