Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Harmar Township than in 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harmar Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #572 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 51 claims here since 1986.
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 stands out about Harmar Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Harmar 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 Harmar Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harmar Township, and Harmar Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #572 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Harmar 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, Harmar Township has more expected damage per building than 55% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Harmar Township: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Harmar Township flood? Sometimes: 51 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Harmar Township, from FEMA’s records: 30.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan25 claims · $811K
Harmar 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: Allegheny County.The storms Harmar Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Allegheny County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Harmar Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200426 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Allegheny County
- 199620 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Allegheny County
- 19862 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Allegheny County
Allegheny County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Harmar Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Harmar Township archive →Harmar Township and its neighbors
Harmar Township is 5th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plum | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Indiana Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Fox Chapel | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Springdale Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Harmar Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| O'Hara Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Oakmont | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Cheswick | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Harwick | — | 899 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 Harmar 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 Harmar Township
Is Harmar Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harmar Township has lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #572 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. 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 Harmar Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 51 claims in Harmar Township since 1986, $1.2M in all, or 30.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (25).
Is Harmar 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 Allegheny County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Harmar Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Harmar 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 Harmar Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 25 paid, $811K.
Is Harmar Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Harmar Township’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harmar Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Harmar 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.