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 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Northern Cambria than in 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Northern Cambria gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #866 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2013.
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 Northern Cambria 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 Northern Cambria’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Northern Cambria, and Northern Cambria’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #866 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Northern Cambria’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, Northern Cambria has more expected damage per building than 83% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Northern Cambria: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Northern Cambria flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Northern Cambria, from FEMA’s records: 5.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Debby6 claims · $129K
Northern Cambria isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cambria County.The storms Northern Cambria remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cambria County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Northern Cambria itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20246 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Debby, declared for Cambria County
- 20132 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cambria County has had 15 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 Northern Cambria after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Northern Cambria archive →Northern Cambria and its neighbors
Northern Cambria is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susquehanna Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 494 |
| Barr Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Northern Cambria | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
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 Northern Cambria 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 Northern Cambria
Is Northern Cambria at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Northern Cambria has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #866 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Northern Cambria flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Northern Cambria since 2013, $164K in all, or 5.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Debby (6).
Is Northern Cambria 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 Cambria County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Northern Cambria?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Northern Cambria’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 Northern Cambria?
By flood claims, Hurricane Debby: 6 paid, $129K.
Is Northern Cambria at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Northern Cambria’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Northern Cambria.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Northern Cambria’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.