Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Sugarcreek faces less hazard damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sugarcreek gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #610 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 43 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 Sugarcreek’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Sugarcreek 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 Sugarcreek’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sugarcreek, and Sugarcreek’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts.
B #610 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sugarcreek’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, Sugarcreek has more expected damage per building than 59% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Sugarcreek: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sugarcreek flood? Sometimes: 43 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sugarcreek, from FEMA’s records: 18.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sugarcreek isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Venango County.The storms Sugarcreek remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Venango County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sugarcreek itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198120 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Venango County
- 20038 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Venango County
- 19965 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Venango County
Venango County has had 12 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 Sugarcreek after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sugarcreek archive →Sugarcreek and its neighbors
Sugarcreek is 3rd of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cranberry Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Sandycreek Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sugarcreek | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Oil City | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 185 |
| Oakland Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Cornplanter Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Frenchcreek Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Franklin | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Jackson Township | — | 828 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Canal Township | — | 799 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 Sugarcreek 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 Sugarcreek
Is Sugarcreek at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sugarcreek has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #610 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 Sugarcreek flood?
Flood insurance has paid 43 claims in Sugarcreek since 1978, $196K in all, or 18.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Sugarcreek 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 Venango County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sugarcreek?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sugarcreek’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sugarcreek at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Sugarcreek’s rate for it is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sugarcreek.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sugarcreek’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.