Photo: White Feather Safari Inspecting · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Fayette Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fayette Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #753 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1996.
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 Fayette 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
Hurricanes
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 Fayette Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fayette Township, and Fayette Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #753 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fayette Township’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, Fayette Township has more expected damage per building than 73% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Fayette Township: $803K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fayette Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fayette Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Fayette 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: Juniata County.The storms Fayette Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Juniata County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fayette Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19963 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Fran, declared for Juniata County
- 20141 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Juniata 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 Fayette Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fayette Township archive →Fayette Township and its neighbors
Fayette Township is 2nd of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Perry Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Fayette Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Monroe Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Decatur Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| West Beaver Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Walker Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Delaware Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 75 |
| Fermanagh Township | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
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 Fayette 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.
- 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.
- 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 Fayette Township
Is Fayette Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fayette Township has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #753 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hurricanes (10%). 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 Fayette Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Fayette Township since 1996, $71K in all, or 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Fayette 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 Juniata County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fayette Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fayette Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Fayette Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Fayette Township’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fayette Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fayette 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.