Photo: Darthgriz98 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Johnstown as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Johnstown gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #756 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 166 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 stands out about Johnstown’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Johnstown 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 Johnstown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Johnstown, and Johnstown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #756 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Johnstown’s residents live in 10 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Johnstown has more expected damage per building than 73% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.8M a year in losses across Johnstown: $6.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Johnstown flood? Yes: 166 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Johnstown, from FEMA’s records: 14.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $4K
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $3K
Johnstown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cambria County.The storms Johnstown remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cambria County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Johnstown itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 197837 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 199634 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Cambria County
- 198132 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cambria County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Johnstown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Johnstown archive →Johnstown and its neighbors
Johnstown is 8th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southmont | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Westmont | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Upper Yoder Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Lower Yoder Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Stonycreek Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| East Taylor Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Ferndale | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Johnstown | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 166 |
| West Taylor Township | — | 706 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Oakland | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Elim | — | 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 Johnstown 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 Johnstown
Is Johnstown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Johnstown has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #756 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Johnstown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 166 claims in Johnstown since 1978, $736K in all, or 14.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1).
Is Johnstown 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 Cambria County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Johnstown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Johnstown’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 Johnstown?
By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1 paid, $4K.
Is Johnstown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Johnstown’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Johnstown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Johnstown’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.