Photo: Allen C. · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Quemahoning Township than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Quemahoning Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 27 claims here since 1978.
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 Quemahoning Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Quemahoning Township 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 Quemahoning Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Quemahoning Township, and Quemahoning Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Quemahoning Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $653K a year in losses across Quemahoning Township: $599K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Quemahoning Township flood? Sometimes: 27 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Quemahoning Township, from FEMA’s records: 32.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The March 2010 nor’easter3 claims · $8K
Quemahoning Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Somerset County.The storms Quemahoning Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Somerset County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Quemahoning Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199621 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Somerset County
- 20103 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms, declared for Somerset County
- 20182 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Somerset 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 Quemahoning Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Quemahoning Township archive →Quemahoning Township and its neighbors
Quemahoning Township is 6th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paint Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Conemaugh Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Stonycreek Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Lincoln Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Shade Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Quemahoning Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Jenner Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Hooversville | — | 666 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Benson | — | 157 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Quemahoning Township 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 Quemahoning Township
Is Quemahoning Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Quemahoning Township has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− 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 Quemahoning Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 27 claims in Quemahoning Township since 1978, $233K in all, or 32.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from March 2010 Nor'easter (3).
Is Quemahoning Township 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 Somerset County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Quemahoning Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Quemahoning Township’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 Quemahoning Township?
By flood claims, March 2010 Nor'easter: 3 paid, $8K.
Is Quemahoning Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Quemahoning Township’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Quemahoning Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Quemahoning Township’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.