Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in McKean Township than in 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McKean Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #649 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1993.
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 McKean 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 McKean Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in McKean Township, and McKean Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
B #649 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of McKean 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, McKean Township has more expected damage per building than 63% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across McKean Township: $912K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does McKean Township flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in McKean Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
McKean 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: Erie County.The storms McKean Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Erie County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching McKean Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Snowfall and Winter Storm, declared for Erie County
- 19941 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Erie County
Erie County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of McKean Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the McKean Township archive →McKean Township and its neighbors
McKean Township is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Waterford Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Summit Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Fairview Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Millcreek Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 116 |
| McKean Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
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 McKean 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 McKean Township
Is McKean Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McKean Township has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #649 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 McKean Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in McKean Township since 1993, $87K in all, or 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is McKean 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 Erie County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in McKean Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for McKean Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is McKean Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and McKean Township’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in McKean Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where McKean 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.