Compass Inn · Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Ligonier Township than in 60% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ligonier Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #838 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 203 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 Ligonier Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Ligonier 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 Ligonier Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ligonier Township, and Ligonier Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #838 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ligonier Township’s residents live in 2 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, Ligonier Township has more expected damage per building than 81% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Ligonier Township: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ligonier Township flood? Yes: 203 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ligonier Township, from FEMA’s records: 57.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan27 claims · $299K
- Hurricane Sandy5 claims · $37K
Ligonier 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: Westmoreland County.The storms Ligonier Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Westmoreland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ligonier Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199651 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Westmoreland County
- 200432 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Westmoreland County
- 201828 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Westmoreland County has had 17 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 Ligonier Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ligonier Township archive →Ligonier Township and its neighbors
Ligonier Township is 6th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unity Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 89 |
| Derry Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Lincoln Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Cook Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Jenner Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Ligonier Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 203 |
| Fairfield Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Ligonier 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 Ligonier Township
Is Ligonier Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ligonier Township has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #838 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 Ligonier Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 203 claims in Ligonier Township since 1978, $2.6M in all, or 57.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 32 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (27).
Is Ligonier 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 Westmoreland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ligonier Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ligonier 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 Ligonier Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 27 paid, $299K.
Is Ligonier Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Ligonier Township’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ligonier Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ligonier 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.