Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Paint Township than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Paint Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #24 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 3 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 Paint 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
Hurricanes
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 Paint Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Paint Township, and Paint Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 5% (higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #24 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Paint Township’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, Paint Township has less expected damage per building than 98% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $616K a year in losses across Paint Township: $540K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Paint Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Paint Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Paint 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: Somerset County.The storms Paint Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Somerset County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Paint Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Somerset County
Somerset 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 Paint Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Paint Township archive →Paint Township and its neighbors
Paint Township is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Paint Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Conemaugh Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Shade Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Quemahoning Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Windber | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Paint | — | 842 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Ogle Township | — | 454 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Benson | — | 157 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 Paint 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Paint Township
Is Paint Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Paint Township has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #24 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hurricanes (5%). 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 Paint Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Paint Township since 1979, $5K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Paint 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 Somerset County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Paint Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Paint Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Paint Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Paint Township’s rate for it is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Paint Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Paint 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.