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St Marys City Hall Apr 10Photo: Pubdog · Public domain
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in St. Marys · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in St. Marys than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Marys gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #150 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 87%Hurricanes 5%Strong wind 3%

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 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#150 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
A#150 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
24
paid since 1978 · $423K
Flooded more than once
3
properties
Disasters paid out here
1
of 7 declared for Elk County

What stands out about St. Marys’ natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 94% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Remembers 20156 flood claims were paid for 2015 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What St. Marys 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

87%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hurricanes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Earthquakes Winter storms Lightning Hail Ice storms Wildfire 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 lightning at 10% of St. Marys’ expected losses. Lightning does little damage to buildings (0.2%), 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 St. Marys’ grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Marys, and St. Marys’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 5% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).

Where St. Marys sits
St. Marys
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #150 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).

St. Marys’ residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Hurricanes5%Strong wind3%Everything else4%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, St. Marys has less expected damage per building than 86% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.0M a year in losses across St. Marys: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. St. Marys 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 St. Marys flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Marys, from FEMA’s records: 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 3 claims2004: 2 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 6 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 3 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 4 claims200320152026
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $16K
24
paid claims since 1978
$423K
paid to owners
3
homes flooded more than once
$18K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

St. Marys isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Elk County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to St. Marys

Disasters that paid out in St. Marys itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of St. Marys), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $16K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in St. MarysElk County only

Elk County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of St. Marys after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the St. Marys archive →
Next door

St. Marys and its neighbors

St. Marys has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Ridgway Township: hazard risk CFox Township: hazard risk B−Jones Township: hazard risk C−Jay Township: hazard risk DShippen Township: hazard risk D−Ridgway TownshipFox TownshipJones TownshipJay TownshipShippen TownshipSt. Marys
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
St. MarysAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding24
Fox TownshipB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding4
Ridgway TownshipCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding14
Jones TownshipC−more damage than 85%river and rain flooding6
Jay TownshipDmore damage than 92%river and rain flooding16
Shippen TownshipD−more damage than 95%river and rain flooding36

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 St. Marys 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
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 St. Marys

Is St. Marys at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Marys has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #150 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and hurricanes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does St. Marys flood?

Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in St. Marys since 1978, $423K in all, or 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (1).

Is St. Marys 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 Elk 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 St. Marys?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Marys’ 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 St. Marys?

By FEMA money that reached St. Marys, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 5 households applied for aid, $7K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 paid, $16K.

Is St. Marys at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and St. Marys’ rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Marys.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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