Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Scott Township than in 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Scott Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #251 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 218 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 Scott Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Scott 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 Scott Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Scott Township, and Scott Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
A #251 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Scott Township’s residents live in 5 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, Scott Township has less expected damage per building than 76% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.4M a year in losses across Scott Township: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Scott Township flood? Yes: 218 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Scott Township, from FEMA’s records: 25.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee84 claims · $5.7M
- Tropical Storm Ivan18 claims · $622K
- Hurricane Ida3 claims · $22K
Scott 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 Scott Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Allegheny County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Scott Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201187 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 200635 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 200425 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Allegheny County
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 Scott Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Scott Township archive →Scott Township and its neighbors
Scott Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Tree | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Mount Lebanon | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Upper St. Clair Township | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Scott Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 218 |
| Collier Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Bridgeville | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 192 |
| Carnegie | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Pittsburgh | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 447 |
| Heidelberg | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Glendale | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Rosslyn Farms | — | 534 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 Scott 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 Scott Township
Is Scott Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Scott Township has lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #251 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Scott Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 218 claims in Scott Township since 1978, $7.8M in all, or 25.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 32 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (84).
Is Scott 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 Scott Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Scott 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 Scott Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 84 paid, $5.7M.
Is Scott Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Scott Township’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Scott Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Scott 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.