Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Penn Hills than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Penn Hills gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #75 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 40 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 stands out about Penn Hills’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Penn Hills 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 Penn Hills’ grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Penn Hills, and Penn Hills’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #75 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Penn Hills’ residents live in 10 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, Penn Hills has less expected damage per building than 93% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.3M a year in losses across Penn Hills: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Penn Hills flood? Sometimes: 40 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Penn Hills, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $52K
Penn Hills 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Penn Hills
Disasters that paid out in Penn Hills itself (aid to households or repair grants to Penn Hills), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan11 households applied for aid$16K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $52K
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 Penn Hills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Penn Hills archive →Penn Hills and its neighbors
Penn Hills is 4th of the 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroeville | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Churchill | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Wilkins Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Penn Hills | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Plum | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Wilkinsburg | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| O'Hara Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Verona | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Pittsburgh | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 447 |
| Oakmont | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Blawnox | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Penn Hills 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 Penn Hills
Is Penn Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Penn Hills has lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #75 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 Penn Hills flood?
Flood insurance has paid 40 claims in Penn Hills since 1979, $1.8M in all. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (4).
Is Penn Hills 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 Penn Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Penn Hills’ 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 Penn Hills?
By FEMA money that reached Penn Hills, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 11 households applied for aid, $16K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 4 paid, $52K.
Is Penn Hills at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Penn Hills’ rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Penn Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Penn Hills’ 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.