Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Port Vue faces more hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port Vue gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #894 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 4 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 Port Vue 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 Port Vue’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Port Vue, and Port Vue’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
C #894 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Port Vue’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, Port Vue has more expected damage per building than 86% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $905K a year in losses across Port Vue: $762K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Port Vue flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Port Vue, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Port Vue 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.The storms Port Vue remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Allegheny County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Port Vue itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19852 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Allegheny County
- 19962 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Allegheny County
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 Port Vue after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Port Vue archive →Port Vue and its neighbors
Port Vue is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | — |
| McKeesport | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Port Vue | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Glassport | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
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 Port Vue 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 Port Vue
Is Port Vue at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port Vue has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #894 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Port Vue flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Port Vue since 1985, $101K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Port Vue 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 Port Vue?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Port Vue’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Port Vue at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Port Vue’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Port Vue.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Port Vue’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.