On FEMA’s figures, Gilpin Township faces more hazard damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gilpin Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 51 claims here since 1981.
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 Gilpin 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 Gilpin Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gilpin Township, and Gilpin Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Gilpin Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Gilpin Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gilpin Township flood? Sometimes: 51 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gilpin Township, from FEMA’s records: 41.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan22 claims · $404K
Gilpin 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: Armstrong County.The storms Gilpin Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Armstrong County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Gilpin Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200422 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Armstrong County
- 199613 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Armstrong County
- 20185 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Armstrong County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Gilpin Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gilpin Township archive →Gilpin Township and its neighbors
Gilpin Township is 5th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| West Leechburg | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bethel Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| South Buffalo Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Gilpin Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Parks Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Leechburg | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Schenley | — | 65 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Hyde Park | — | 464 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 Gilpin 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 Gilpin Township
Is Gilpin Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gilpin Township has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Gilpin Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 51 claims in Gilpin Township since 1981, $971K in all, or 41.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 10 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (22).
Is Gilpin 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 Armstrong County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gilpin Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gilpin 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 Gilpin Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 22 paid, $404K.
Is Gilpin Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Gilpin Township’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gilpin Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gilpin 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.