Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Sewickley Township than in 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sewickley Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #632 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 74 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 Sewickley Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Sewickley 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 Sewickley Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sewickley Township, and Sewickley Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
B #632 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sewickley Township’s residents live in 2 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, Sewickley Township has more expected damage per building than 61% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Sewickley Township: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sewickley Township flood? Sometimes: 74 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sewickley Township, from FEMA’s records: 28.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $119K
- The March 2010 nor’easter1 claim · $2K
Sewickley 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 Sewickley Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Westmoreland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sewickley Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 199610 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Westmoreland County
- 20249 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Sewickley Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sewickley Township archive →Sewickley Township and its neighbors
Sewickley Township is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hempfield Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 93 |
| North Huntingdon Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
| South Huntingdon Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Sewickley Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 74 |
| Elizabeth Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 151 |
| Yukon | — | 750 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Sutersville | — | 544 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Madison | — | 355 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Industry | — | 406 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Buena Vista | — | 301 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Collinsburg | — | 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 Sewickley 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 Sewickley Township
Is Sewickley Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sewickley Township has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #632 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 Sewickley Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 74 claims in Sewickley Township since 1978, $1.4M in all, or 28.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 14 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (4).
Is Sewickley 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 Sewickley Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sewickley 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 Sewickley Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 4 paid, $119K.
Is Sewickley Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Sewickley Township’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sewickley Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sewickley 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.