Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Plum faces less hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Plum gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #82 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 44 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 Plum’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Plum 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 Plum’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Plum, and Plum’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #82 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Plum’s residents live in 6 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, Plum has less expected damage per building than 92% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Plum: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Plum flood? Sometimes: 44 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Plum, from FEMA’s records: 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $230K
Plum 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 Plum
Disasters that paid out in Plum itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Plum), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan3 households applied for aid$4K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $230K
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 Plum after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Plum archive →Plum and its neighbors
Plum is 3rd 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 |
| Penn Hills | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Plum | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Upper Burrell Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Murrysville | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Springdale Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Harmar Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Lower Burrell | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Springdale | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Oakmont | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Cheswick | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Plum 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 Plum
Is Plum at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Plum has lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #82 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Plum flood?
Flood insurance has paid 44 claims in Plum since 1979, $2.6M in all, or 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (4).
Is Plum 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 Plum?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Plum’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 Plum?
By FEMA money that reached Plum, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 3 households applied for aid, $4K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 4 paid, $230K.
Is Plum at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Plum’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Plum.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Plum’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.