FEMA puts Springfield Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Springfield Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #862 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1979.
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 Springfield 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 Springfield Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Springfield Township, and Springfield Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #862 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Springfield 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, Springfield Township has more expected damage per building than 83% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Springfield Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Springfield Township flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Springfield Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Springfield 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: Fayette County.The storms Springfield Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Fayette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Springfield Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20022 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20032 flood claims paidThe year of Snow, declared for Fayette County
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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.
Old photos of Springfield Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Springfield Township archive →Springfield Township and its neighbors
Springfield Township is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Turkeyfoot Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Bullskin Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Dunbar Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Connellsville Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Saltlick Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Springfield Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Stewart Township | — | 613 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lower Turkeyfoot Township | — | 470 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Middlecreek Township | — | 682 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 Springfield 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 Springfield Township
Is Springfield Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Springfield Township has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #862 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. 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.
Does Springfield Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Springfield Township since 1979, $18K in all, or 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Springfield 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 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 Springfield Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Springfield Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Springfield Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Springfield Township’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Springfield Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Springfield 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.