Wright, Cerl, Covered Bridge · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Somerset Township than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Somerset Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #456 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2022.
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 Somerset 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 Somerset Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Somerset Township, and Somerset Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #456 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Somerset Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Somerset Township has less expected damage per building than 56% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $620K a year in losses across Somerset Township: $567K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Somerset Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2022
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Somerset Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Somerset 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: Washington County.The storms Somerset Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Somerset Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20221 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Washington County has had 11 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 Somerset Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Somerset Township archive →Somerset Township and its neighbors
Somerset Township is 5th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Strabane Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| North Strabane Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Fallowfield Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| North Bethlehem Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Somerset Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Nottingham Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Bentleyville | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| West Pike Run Township | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Ellsworth | — | 791 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cokeburg | — | 684 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Eighty Four | — | 626 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 Somerset 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 Somerset Township
Is Somerset Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Somerset Township has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #456 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Somerset Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Somerset Township since 2022, $2K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Somerset 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 Washington County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Somerset Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Somerset Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Somerset Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Somerset Township’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Somerset Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Somerset 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.