Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Stonycreek Township faces less hazard damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stonycreek Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #370 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 47 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Stonycreek Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Stonycreek 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 Stonycreek Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Stonycreek Township, and Stonycreek Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #370 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Stonycreek 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, Stonycreek Township has less expected damage per building than 64% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $585K a year in losses across Stonycreek Township: $481K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Stonycreek Township flood? Sometimes: 47 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Stonycreek Township, from FEMA’s records: 31.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Stonycreek 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: Cambria County.The storms Stonycreek Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cambria County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Stonycreek Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199637 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Cambria County
- 20183 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19782 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cambria County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Stonycreek Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Stonycreek Township archive →Stonycreek Township and its neighbors
Stonycreek Township is 5th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Geistown | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Upper Yoder Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Conemaugh Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Stonycreek Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Ferndale | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Johnstown | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 166 |
| Oakland | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Lorain | — | 594 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Riverside | — | 267 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Belmont | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Stonycreek 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 Stonycreek Township
Is Stonycreek Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stonycreek Township has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #370 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Stonycreek Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 47 claims in Stonycreek Township since 1978, $219K in all, or 31.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Stonycreek 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 Cambria County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Stonycreek Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Stonycreek Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Stonycreek Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Stonycreek Township’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Stonycreek Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Stonycreek 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.