Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Millvale than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Millvale gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #1,016 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). Flood insurance has paid 252 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 Millvale’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Millvale 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 Millvale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Millvale, and Millvale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D #1,016 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Millvale’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, Millvale has more expected damage per building than 98% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Millvale: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Millvale flood? Yes: 252 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Millvale, from FEMA’s records: 117.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan99 claims · $3.2M
- Hurricane Ida5 claims · $24K
Millvale isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Allegheny County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Millvale
Disasters that paid out in Millvale itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Millvale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan226 households applied for aid$881K aid approved99 flood claims paid for it, $3.2M
Allegheny County has had 15 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 Millvale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Millvale archive →Millvale and its neighbors
Millvale is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaler Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 228 |
| Pittsburgh | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 447 |
| Reserve Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Millvale | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 252 |
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 Millvale 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 Millvale
Is Millvale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Millvale has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,016 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). 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 Millvale flood?
Flood insurance has paid 252 claims in Millvale since 1979, $4.7M in all, or 117.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 47 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (99).
Is Millvale 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 Allegheny County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Millvale?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Millvale’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 Millvale?
By FEMA money that reached Millvale, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 226 households applied for aid, $881K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 99 paid, $3.2M.
Is Millvale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Millvale’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Millvale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Millvale’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.