Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in South Connellsville as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Connellsville gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 South Connellsville 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 South Connellsville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in South Connellsville, and South Connellsville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of South Connellsville’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $456K a year in losses across South Connellsville: $418K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does South Connellsville flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in South Connellsville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
South Connellsville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fayette County.The storms South Connellsville remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Fayette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching South Connellsville itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Fayette County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
South Connellsville and its neighbors
South Connellsville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunbar Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Connellsville Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| South Connellsville | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Connellsville | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
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 South Connellsville 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 South Connellsville
Is South Connellsville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Connellsville has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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.
Is South Connellsville 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 Fayette County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in South Connellsville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for South Connellsville’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is South Connellsville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and South Connellsville’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Connellsville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where South Connellsville’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.