Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Georges Township than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Georges Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #536 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1980.
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 Georges 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 Georges Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Georges Township, and Georges Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #536 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Georges 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, Georges Township has more expected damage per building than 52% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Georges Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Georges Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Georges Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Georges 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: Fayette County.The storms Georges Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Fayette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Georges Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19802 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20171 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Fayette County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Georges Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Georges Township archive →Georges Township and its neighbors
Georges Township is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Union Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 39 |
| Wharton Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Georges Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Springhill Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Nicholson Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| German Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Leith-Hatfield | — | 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 Georges 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 Georges Township
Is Georges Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Georges Township has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #536 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Georges Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Georges Township since 1980, $30K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Georges 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 Fayette County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Georges Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Georges Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Georges Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Georges Township’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Georges Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Georges 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.