Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Moon Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moon Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #225 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1996.
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 Moon 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 Moon Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Moon Township, and Moon Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
A #225 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Moon Township’s residents live in 5 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, Moon Township has less expected damage per building than 78% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.0M a year in losses across Moon Township: $4.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Moon Township flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Moon Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $9K
Moon 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: Allegheny County.The storms Moon Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Allegheny County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Moon Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20197 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19962 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Allegheny County
- 20042 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Allegheny County
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 Moon Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Moon Township archive →Moon Township and its neighbors
Moon Township is 5th of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Findlay Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Robinson Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| North Fayette Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Hopewell Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 68 |
| Moon Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Crescent Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Sewickley | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Coraopolis | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Edgeworth | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Glen Osborne | — | 585 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 Moon 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 Moon Township
Is Moon Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moon Township has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #225 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 Moon Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Moon Township since 1996, $191K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (2).
Is Moon 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 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 Moon Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Moon 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 Moon Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 2 paid, $9K.
Is Moon Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Moon Township’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Moon Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Moon 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.