Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Shenango Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shenango Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #732 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2000.
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 Shenango 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 Shenango Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shenango Township, and Shenango Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #732 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Shenango 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, Shenango Township has more expected damage per building than 71% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Shenango Township: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shenango Township flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shenango Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Shenango 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: Lawrence County.The storms Shenango Township remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Lawrence County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Shenango Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20136 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Lawrence County
- 20001 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Lawrence County
Lawrence County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Shenango Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shenango Township archive →Shenango Township and its neighbors
Shenango Township is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slippery Rock Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hickory Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Shenango Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| New Castle | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
| South New Castle | — | 712 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Taylor Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Shenango 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 Shenango Township
Is Shenango Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shenango Township has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #732 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 Shenango Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Shenango Township since 2000, $65K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Shenango 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 Lawrence County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Shenango Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shenango Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Shenango Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Shenango Township’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shenango Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shenango 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.