Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Rochester Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rochester Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #90 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 3 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 Rochester 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 Rochester Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rochester Township, and Rochester Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #90 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Rochester Township’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, Rochester Township has less expected damage per building than 91% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $467K a year in losses across Rochester Township: $424K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rochester Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rochester Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Rochester 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: Beaver County.The storms Rochester Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Beaver County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Rochester Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19901 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, Severe Storms, declared for Beaver County
Beaver County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Rochester Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rochester Township archive →Rochester Township and its neighbors
Rochester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Rochester | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| New Sewickley Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Pulaski Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Daugherty Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Freedom | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| New Brighton | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| East Rochester | — | 585 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bridgewater | — | 789 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Fallston | — | 271 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 Rochester 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 Rochester Township
Is Rochester Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rochester Township has lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #90 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Rochester Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Rochester Township since 1978, $21K in all, or 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Rochester 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 Beaver County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rochester Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rochester Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Rochester Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Rochester Township’s rate for it is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rochester Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rochester 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.