Photo: Nathan412 · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Stowe Township faces more hazard damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stowe Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #916 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1996.
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 Stowe 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 Stowe Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Stowe Township, and Stowe Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
C #916 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Stowe Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Stowe Township has more expected damage per building than 88% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Stowe Township: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Stowe Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Stowe Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Stowe 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.The storms Stowe Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Allegheny County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Stowe Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Allegheny County
- 19991 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20091 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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.
Old photos of Stowe Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Stowe Township archive →Stowe Township and its neighbors
Stowe Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennedy Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bellevue | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Neville Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Pittsburgh | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 447 |
| Stowe Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| McKees Rocks | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
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 Stowe 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 Stowe Township
Is Stowe Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stowe Township has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #916 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Stowe Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Stowe Township since 1996, $21K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Stowe 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 Stowe Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Stowe Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Stowe Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Stowe Township’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Stowe Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Stowe 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.