Photo: User:Cards84664 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Erie’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Erie gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #215 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 39 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 stands out about Erie’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Erie 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 Erie’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Erie, and Erie’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
A #215 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Erie’s residents live in 31 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, Erie has less expected damage per building than 79% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $13.0M a year in losses across Erie: $11.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Erie flood? Sometimes: 39 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Erie, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Erie isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Erie County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Erie
Disasters that paid out in Erie itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Erie), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Frances40 households applied for aid$141K aid approved
Erie County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Erie after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Erie archive →Erie and its neighbors
Erie has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erie | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 39 |
| Harborcreek Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Wesleyville | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lawrence Park Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Millcreek Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 116 |
| Northwest Harborcreek | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Erie 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 Erie
Is Erie at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Erie has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #215 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Erie flood?
Flood insurance has paid 39 claims in Erie since 1978, $586K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Erie 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 Erie County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Erie?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Erie’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 Erie?
By FEMA money that reached Erie, Severe Storms and Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Frances (2004): 40 households applied for aid, $141K approved.
Is Erie at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Erie’s rate for it is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Erie.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Erie’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.