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JamesMillerHousePhoto: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in South Park Township · FEMA

FEMA puts South Park Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Park Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #511 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 53 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 95%Tornadoes 2%Earthquakes 1%

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

less than 72%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#511 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
B+#511 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
95% of expected building damage
Flood claims
53
paid since 1978 · $1.8M
Flooded more than once
8
properties · 4 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
1
of 15 declared for Allegheny County

What stands out about South Park Township’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Remembers 20189 flood claims were paid for 2018 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What South Park 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

95%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Lightning Hail Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 12% of South Park Township’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind South Park Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in South Park Township, and South Park Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Where South Park Township sits
South Park Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #511 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

South Park Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding95%Everything else5%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, South Park Township has less expected damage per building than 51% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across South Park Township: $2.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. South Park Township covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does South Park Township flood? Sometimes: 53 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in South Park Township, from FEMA’s records: 8.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 2 claims1979: 0 claims1980: 4 claims1981: 2 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 2 claims1987: 3 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 3 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 2 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 2 claims2000: 2 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 3 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 2 claims2013: 4 claims2014: 4 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 6 claims2018: 9 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198020172018
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan3 claims · $110K
53
paid claims since 1978
$1.8M
paid to owners
8
homes flooded more than once
$34K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (4)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

South Park 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: Allegheny County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to South Park Township

Disasters that paid out in South Park Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to South Park Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan20 households applied for aid$39K aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $110K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in South Park TownshipAllegheny 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 South Park Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the South Park Township archive →
Next door

South Park Township and its neighbors

South Park Township is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Bethel Park: hazard risk A+Jefferson Hills: hazard risk B+Union Township: hazard risk B+Baldwin: hazard risk A+Bethel ParkJefferson HillsUnion TownshipBaldwinSouth Park Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Bethel ParkA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding70
BaldwinA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding44
Jefferson HillsB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding58
South Park TownshipB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding53
Union TownshipB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding22

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 South Park 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.

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 South Park Township

Is South Park Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Park Township has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #511 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does South Park Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 53 claims in South Park Township since 1978, $1.8M in all, or 8.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 8 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (3).

Is South Park 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 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 South Park Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for South Park Township’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 South Park Township?

By FEMA money that reached South Park Township, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 20 households applied for aid, $39K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 3 paid, $110K.

Is South Park Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and South Park Township’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Park Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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