Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Summit Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Summit Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #724 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 60 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 Summit 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 Summit Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Summit Township, and Summit Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #724 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Summit 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, Summit Township has more expected damage per building than 70% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Summit Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Summit Township flood? Sometimes: 60 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Summit Township, from FEMA’s records: 28.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan5 claims · $46K
- The March 2010 nor’easter3 claims · $15K
Summit 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: Butler County.The storms Summit Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Butler County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Summit Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20049 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Butler County
- 19967 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Butler County
- 20006 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Butler County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Summit Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Summit Township archive →Summit Township and its neighbors
Summit Township is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 107 |
| Jefferson Township | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Oakland Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Clearfield Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Summit Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 60 |
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 Summit 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 Summit Township
Is Summit Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Summit Township has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #724 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Summit Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 60 claims in Summit Township since 1978, $524K in all, or 28.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (5).
Is Summit 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 Butler County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Summit Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Summit Township’s 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 Summit Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 5 paid, $46K.
Is Summit Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Summit Township’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Summit Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Summit 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.