Photo: Nicholas from Pennsylvania, USA · CC BY 2.0FEMA puts Keating Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keating Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #923 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1989.
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 Keating 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 Keating Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Keating Township, and Keating Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
C #923 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Keating Township’s residents live in 6 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, Keating Township has more expected damage per building than 89% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Keating Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Keating Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1989
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Keating Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Keating 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: McKean County.The storms Keating Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for McKean County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Keating Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20092 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19891 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19981 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
McKean County has had 10 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 Keating Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Keating Township archive →Keating Township and its neighbors
Keating Township is 7th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foster Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Lafayette Township | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Otto Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Eldred Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Bradford Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Liberty Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Keating Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Norwich Township | — | 502 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Hamlin Township | — | 780 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 Keating 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 Keating Township
Is Keating Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keating Township has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #923 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Keating Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Keating Township since 1989, $11K in all, or 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Keating 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 McKean County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Keating Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Keating Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Keating Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Keating Township’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Keating Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Keating 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.