Photo: Niagara · CC BY 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Fairview Township than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairview Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #352 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1994.
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 Fairview 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
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 Fairview Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairview Township, and Fairview Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #352 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Fairview Township’s residents live in 2 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, Fairview Township has less expected damage per building than 66% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Fairview Township: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fairview Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1994
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fairview Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $32K
Fairview 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: Erie County.The storms Fairview Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Erie County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fairview Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19941 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Erie County
- 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Erie County
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 Fairview Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fairview Township archive →Fairview Township and its neighbors
Fairview Township is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Girard Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Fairview Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Millcreek Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 116 |
| McKean Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Avonia | — | 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 Fairview 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.
- 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 Fairview Township
Is Fairview Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairview Township has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #352 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Fairview Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Fairview Township since 1994, $131K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Fairview 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 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 Fairview Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fairview 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 Fairview Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $32K.
Is Fairview Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Fairview Township’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairview Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fairview 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.