Photo: Alyssa Gormish, UPJ student · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Richland Township, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Richland Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #4 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). Flood insurance has paid 29 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 Richland Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Richland 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
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
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 Richland Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Richland Township, and Richland Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #4 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Richland Township’s residents live in 3 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, Richland Township has less expected damage per building than 100% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Richland Township: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Richland Township flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Richland Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Richland 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: Cambria County.The storms Richland Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cambria County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Richland Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19795 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19784 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19964 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Cambria County
Cambria County has had 15 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 Richland Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Richland Township archive →Richland Township and its neighbors
Richland Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 7 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Geistown | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Conemaugh Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| 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 | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Adams Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Belmont | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Scalp Level | — | 791 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Oakland | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Richland 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Richland Township
Is Richland Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Richland Township has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #4 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Richland Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in Richland Township since 1978, $104K in all, or 5.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Richland 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 Cambria County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Richland Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Richland Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Richland Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Richland Township’s rate for it is lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Richland Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Richland 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.