Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Susquehanna Township than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Susquehanna Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 494 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 Susquehanna Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Susquehanna 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
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
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 Susquehanna Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Susquehanna Township, and Susquehanna Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Susquehanna Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $347K a year in losses across Susquehanna Township: $278K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Susquehanna Township flood? Yes: 494 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Susquehanna Township, from FEMA’s records: 600.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee155 claims · $2.8M
- Tropical Storm Ivan96 claims · $1.6M
Susquehanna 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 Susquehanna Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cambria County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Susquehanna Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2011171 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Cambria County
- 1996162 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Cambria County
- 200496 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Cambria County
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 Susquehanna Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Susquehanna Township archive →Susquehanna Township and its neighbors
Susquehanna Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barr Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Susquehanna Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 494 |
| Green Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Hastings | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Elder Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Burnside Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Northern Cambria | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Cherry Tree | — | 215 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 Susquehanna 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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.
- 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 Susquehanna Township
Is Susquehanna Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Susquehanna Township has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (6%). 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 Susquehanna Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 494 claims in Susquehanna Township since 1978, $6.5M in all, or 600.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 100 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (155).
Is Susquehanna 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 Susquehanna Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Susquehanna 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 Susquehanna Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 155 paid, $2.8M.
Is Susquehanna Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Susquehanna Township’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Susquehanna Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Susquehanna 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.