Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, New Sewickley Township faces less hazard damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Sewickley Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #205 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 2 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 New Sewickley 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 New Sewickley Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Sewickley Township, and New Sewickley Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
A #205 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
New Sewickley 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, New Sewickley Township has less expected damage per building than 80% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across New Sewickley Township: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does New Sewickley Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in New Sewickley Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
New Sewickley 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: Beaver County.The storms New Sewickley Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Beaver County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching New Sewickley Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Beaver County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of New Sewickley Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the New Sewickley Township archive →New Sewickley Township and its neighbors
New Sewickley Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Cranberry Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| New Sewickley Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Daugherty Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Jackson Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 244 |
| Conway | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Economy | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Freedom | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| North Sewickley Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 127 |
| Pine Run | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Marion Township | — | 697 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 New Sewickley 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 New Sewickley Township
Is New Sewickley Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Sewickley Township has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #205 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does New Sewickley Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in New Sewickley Township since 1978, $30K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is New Sewickley 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 Beaver County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in New Sewickley Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Sewickley Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is New Sewickley Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and New Sewickley Township’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Sewickley Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where New Sewickley 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.