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Downtown Evans City PennsylvaniaPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Evans City · FEMA

FEMA puts Evans City’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Evans City gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 98 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

more than 65%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Pennsylvania · higher than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
98
paid since 1978 · $1.4M
Flooded more than once
12
properties · 3 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
2
of 8 declared for Butler County

What stands out about Evans City’s natural hazards

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

By hazard

What Evans City 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Hurricanes Hail Winter storms Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides 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 Evans City’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Evans City, and Evans City’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Evans City sits
Evans City
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Evans City’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding96%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $605K a year in losses across Evans City: $566K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Evans City’s 1,737 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Forward township (3,164 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 town’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 Evans City flood? Sometimes: 98 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Evans City, from FEMA’s records: 102.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 6 claims1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 2 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 2 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 6 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 2 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 4 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 6 claims1997: 2 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 38 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 5 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 16 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 4 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197820042019
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan21 claims · $511K
98
paid claims since 1978
$1.4M
paid to owners
12
homes flooded more than once
$15K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Evans City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Butler County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Evans City

Disasters that paid out in Evans City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Evans City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan177 households applied for aid$918K aid approved21 flood claims paid for it, $511K
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Frances7 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Evans CityButler County only

Butler County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Evans City archive →
Next door

Evans City and its neighbors

Evans City is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Forward Township: hazard risk C+Jackson Township: hazard risk BForward TownshipJackson TownshipEvans City
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Jackson TownshipBless damage than 63%river and rain flooding244
Forward TownshipC+more damage than 65%river and rain flooding160
Evans CityC+more damage than 65%river and rain flooding98

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 Evans City 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 Evans City

Is Evans City at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Evans City has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Evans City flood?

Flood insurance has paid 98 claims in Evans City since 1978, $1.4M in all, or 102.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 12 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (21).

Is Evans City 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 Butler County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Evans City?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Evans City’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 Evans City?

By FEMA money that reached Evans City, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 177 households applied for aid, $918K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 21 paid, $511K.

Is Evans City at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Evans City’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Evans City.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Evans City’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.