Searight's Fulling Mill · Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Perryopolis as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Perryopolis gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1985.
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 Perryopolis 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 Perryopolis’ grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Perryopolis, and Perryopolis’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Perryopolis’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $487K a year in losses across Perryopolis: $432K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Perryopolis flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Perryopolis, from FEMA’s records: 19.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Perryopolis isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fayette County.The storms Perryopolis remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Fayette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Perryopolis itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20005 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20024 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20183 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Fayette County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Perryopolis after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Perryopolis archive →Get ready for what Perryopolis 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 Perryopolis
Is Perryopolis at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Perryopolis has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Perryopolis flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Perryopolis since 1985, $254K in all, or 19.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Perryopolis 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 Fayette County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Perryopolis?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Perryopolis’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Perryopolis at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Perryopolis’ rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Perryopolis.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Perryopolis’ 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.