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Main Street nb in Shade Gap, PA (3), May 2024Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Shade Gap · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Shade Gap

Shade Gap isn’t graded for hazard risk: Shade Gap has 68 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 13 declared for Huntingdon County
By hazard

What Shade Gap 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

88%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Hail Earthquakes Wildfire Ice storms Landslides top 3% Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts strong wind at 18% of Shade Gap’s expected losses. Strong wind does little damage to buildings (1.9%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Shade Gap flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Shade Gap. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Shade Gap isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Huntingdon County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Shade Gap

Disasters that paid out in Shade Gap itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Shade Gap), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan6 households applied for aid$28K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Shade GapHuntingdon County only

Huntingdon County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Shade Gap after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Shade Gap archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Shade Gap faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Shade Gap

Is Shade Gap 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 Huntingdon County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Shade Gap?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shade Gap’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 Shade Gap?

By FEMA money that reached Shade Gap, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 6 households applied for aid, $28K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shade Gap.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shade Gap’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.