Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Huntingdon faces less hazard damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Huntingdon gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #253 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 63 claims here since 1979.
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 Huntingdon’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Huntingdon 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
Hurricanes
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 Huntingdon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Huntingdon, and Huntingdon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 7% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).
A #253 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Huntingdon’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, Huntingdon has less expected damage per building than 76% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Huntingdon: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Huntingdon flood? Sometimes: 63 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Huntingdon, from FEMA’s records: 20.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan10 claims · $155K
- Tropical Storm Allison4 claims · $45K
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $247K
Huntingdon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Huntingdon County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Huntingdon
Disasters that paid out in Huntingdon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Huntingdon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee7 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan168 households applied for aid$314K aid approved10 flood claims paid for it, $155K
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Frances7 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Huntingdon County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Huntingdon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Huntingdon archive →Huntingdon and its neighbors
Huntingdon has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntingdon | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 63 |
| Smithfield Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oneida Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Henderson Township | — | 769 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 Huntingdon 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Huntingdon
Is Huntingdon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Huntingdon has lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #253 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (7%). 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 Huntingdon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 63 claims in Huntingdon since 1979, $2.7M in all, or 20.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (10).
Is Huntingdon 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 Huntingdon County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Huntingdon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Huntingdon’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 Huntingdon?
By FEMA money that reached Huntingdon, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 168 households applied for aid, $314K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 10 paid, $155K.
Is Huntingdon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Huntingdon’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Huntingdon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Huntingdon’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.