Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Penn
Penn isn’t graded for hazard risk: Penn has 679 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 2009.
What Penn 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.
Does Penn flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Penn, from FEMA’s records.
Penn 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 Penn remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Westmoreland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Penn itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20195 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20094 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20183 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Penn after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Penn archive →Penn and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. 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 |
| Penn Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 276 |
| Jeannette | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
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 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
Does Penn flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Penn since 2009, $141K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Penn 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 Penn?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Penn’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Penn.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Penn’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.