Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Ross Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ross Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #153 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 169 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 Ross Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Ross 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 Ross Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ross Township, and Ross Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
A #153 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ross Township’s residents live in 8 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, Ross Township has less expected damage per building than 85% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.9M a year in losses across Ross Township: $5.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ross Township flood? Yes: 169 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ross Township, from FEMA’s records: 11.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan28 claims · $561K
- Hurricane Isaias4 claims · $164K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $44K
Ross 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: Allegheny County.The storms Ross Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Allegheny County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ross Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200434 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Allegheny County
- 200715 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 201510 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Ross Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ross Township archive →Ross Township and its neighbors
Ross Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCandless Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| Ohio Township | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Ross Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 169 |
| Shaler Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 228 |
| Bellevue | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Pittsburgh | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 447 |
| Reserve Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Ross 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 Ross Township
Is Ross Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ross Township has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #153 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ross Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 169 claims in Ross Township since 1978, $2.0M in all, or 11.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 25 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (28).
Is Ross 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 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 Ross Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ross 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 Ross Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 28 paid, $561K.
Is Ross Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Ross Township’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ross Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ross 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.