Adam Fisher Homestead · Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Mount Pleasant Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Pleasant Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #250 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 46 claims here since 1983.
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 Mount Pleasant Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Mount Pleasant 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 Mount Pleasant Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Pleasant Township, and Mount Pleasant Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
A #250 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mount Pleasant Township’s residents live in 3 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, Mount Pleasant Township has less expected damage per building than 76% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Mount Pleasant Township: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mount Pleasant Township flood? Sometimes: 46 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mount Pleasant Township, from FEMA’s records: 9.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee11 claims · $832K
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $70K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $5K
Mount Pleasant 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 Mount Pleasant Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Westmoreland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mount Pleasant Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201112 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 200610 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19966 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Westmoreland County
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 Mount Pleasant Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mount Pleasant Township archive →Mount Pleasant Township and its neighbors
Mount Pleasant Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hempfield Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 93 |
| Unity Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 89 |
| Mount Pleasant | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| East Huntingdon Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Mount Pleasant Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 46 |
| Donegal Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Bullskin Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Bear Rocks | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Mount Pleasant 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 Mount Pleasant Township
Is Mount Pleasant Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Pleasant Township has lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #250 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 Mount Pleasant Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 46 claims in Mount Pleasant Township since 1983, $1.7M in all, or 9.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (11).
Is Mount Pleasant 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 Mount Pleasant Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mount Pleasant 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 Mount Pleasant Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 11 paid, $832K.
Is Mount Pleasant Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Mount Pleasant Township’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Pleasant Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mount Pleasant 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.