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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sharpsburg · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Sharpsburg than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sharpsburg gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #1,034 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (99%). Flood insurance has paid 78 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 99%

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

more than 95%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#1,034 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
D−#1,034 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · higher than 95% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
99% of expected building damage
Flood claims
78
paid since 1982 · $1.5M
Flooded more than once
5
properties
Disasters paid out here
1
of 15 declared for Allegheny County
By hazard

What Sharpsburg 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

99%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Hurricanes Earthquakes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Sharpsburg’s grade

River and rain flooding is 99% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sharpsburg, and Sharpsburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Sharpsburg sits
Sharpsburg
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #1,034 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Sharpsburg’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding99%Everything else1%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sharpsburg has more expected damage per building than 100% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Sharpsburg: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Sharpsburg’s 3,187 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Sharpsburg flood? Sometimes: 78 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sharpsburg, from FEMA’s records: 43.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 3 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 13 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 55 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 2 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199019962004
19822026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan55 claims · $1.3M
78
paid claims since 1982
$1.5M
paid to owners
5
homes flooded more than once
$19K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Sharpsburg 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.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Sharpsburg

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

  1. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan80 households applied for aid$320K aid approved55 flood claims paid for it, $1.3M
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SharpsburgAllegheny County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Sharpsburg archive →
Next door

Sharpsburg and its neighbors

Sharpsburg is 5th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

O'Hara Township: hazard risk B−Etna: hazard risk C−Pittsburgh: hazard risk CAspinwall: hazard risk D−Shaler Township: hazard risk A−O'Hara TownshipEtnaPittsburghAspinwallShaler TownshipSharpsburg
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Shaler TownshipA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding228
O'Hara TownshipB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding30
PittsburghCmore damage than 69%river and rain flooding447
EtnaC−more damage than 84%river and rain flooding239
SharpsburgD−more damage than 95%river and rain flooding78
AspinwallD−more damage than 97%river and rain flooding8

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Sharpsburg 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 ↗
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 Sharpsburg

Is Sharpsburg at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sharpsburg has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #1,034 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (99%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Sharpsburg flood?

Flood insurance has paid 78 claims in Sharpsburg since 1982, $1.5M in all, or 43.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (55).

Is Sharpsburg 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 Sharpsburg?

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

By FEMA money that reached Sharpsburg, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 80 households applied for aid, $320K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 55 paid, $1.3M.

Is Sharpsburg at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (99%), and Sharpsburg’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sharpsburg.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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