Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Rostraver Township than in 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rostraver Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #586 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 43 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 stands out about Rostraver Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Rostraver 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 Rostraver Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rostraver Township, and Rostraver Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #586 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Rostraver Township’s residents live in 4 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, Rostraver Township has more expected damage per building than 56% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.4M a year in losses across Rostraver Township: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rostraver Township flood? Sometimes: 43 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rostraver Township, from FEMA’s records: 8.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Rostraver 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: Westmoreland County.The storms Rostraver Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Westmoreland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Rostraver Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199610 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Westmoreland County
- 201810 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19856 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Westmoreland County
Westmoreland 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 Rostraver Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rostraver Township archive →Rostraver Township and its neighbors
Rostraver Township is 2nd of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Huntingdon Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Rostraver Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Carroll Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Monessen | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Perry Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Donora | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| North Belle Vernon | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| West Newton | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 77 |
| Washington Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 140 |
| Collinsburg | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Lynnwood-Pricedale | — | 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 Rostraver 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 Rostraver Township
Is Rostraver Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rostraver Township has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #586 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Rostraver Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 43 claims in Rostraver Township since 1985, $404K in all, or 8.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Rostraver 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 Westmoreland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rostraver Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rostraver Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Rostraver Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Rostraver Township’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rostraver Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rostraver 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.