Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in German Township than in 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, German Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #855 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 7 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 German 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 German Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in German Township, and German Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #855 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of German 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, German Township has more expected damage per building than 82% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across German Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does German Township flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in German Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 50% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
German 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 German Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Fayette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching German Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19852 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Fayette County
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19871 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 German Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the German Township archive →German Township and its neighbors
German Township is 6th of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masontown | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Georges Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Menallen Township | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Nicholson Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Redstone Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| German Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Cumberland Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Luzerne Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Monongahela Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| New Salem | — | 364 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Nemacolin | — | 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 German 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 German Township
Is German Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, German Township has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #855 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 German Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in German Township since 1978, $25K in all, or 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 50% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is German 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 German Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for German Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is German Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and German Township’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in German Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where German 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.