Photo: Dasandman008 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Girard faces less hazard damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Girard gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #142 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2017.
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 Girard 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 Girard’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Girard, and Girard’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
A #142 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Girard’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, Girard has less expected damage per building than 86% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $492K a year in losses across Girard: $430K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Girard flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Girard, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Girard isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Erie County.The storms Girard remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Erie County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Girard itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20172 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Erie County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Girard after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Girard archive →Girard and its neighbors
Girard is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake City | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Girard | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Girard Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
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 Girard 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 Girard
Is Girard at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Girard has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #142 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Girard flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Girard since 2017, $96K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Girard 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 Erie County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Girard?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Girard’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Girard at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Girard’s rate for it is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Girard.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Girard’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.