Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Ferndale than in 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ferndale gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 10 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 Ferndale 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 Ferndale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ferndale, and Ferndale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ferndale’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $380K a year in losses across Ferndale: $320K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ferndale flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ferndale, from FEMA’s records: 13.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ferndale isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cambria County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Ferndale
Disasters that paid out in Ferndale itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Ferndale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Cambria 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 Ferndale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ferndale archive →Ferndale and its neighbors
Ferndale is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Yoder Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Stonycreek Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Ferndale | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Johnstown | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 166 |
| Elim | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Riverside | — | 267 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 Ferndale 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 Ferndale
Is Ferndale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ferndale has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Ferndale flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Ferndale since 1978, $222K in all, or 13.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Ferndale 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 Cambria County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ferndale?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ferndale’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 Ferndale?
By FEMA money that reached Ferndale, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 1 households applied for aid, $3K approved.
Is Ferndale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Ferndale’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ferndale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ferndale’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.