Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Tarentum’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tarentum gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #1,031 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (99%). Flood insurance has paid 26 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 Tarentum’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Tarentum 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 Tarentum’s grade
River and rain flooding is 99% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tarentum, and Tarentum’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D #1,031 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Tarentum’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, Tarentum has more expected damage per building than 99% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Tarentum: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tarentum flood? Sometimes: 26 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tarentum, from FEMA’s records: 11.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan11 claims · $183K
Tarentum 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Tarentum
Disasters that paid out in Tarentum itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Tarentum), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan199 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved11 flood claims paid for it, $183K
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 Tarentum after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tarentum archive →Tarentum and its neighbors
Tarentum is 8th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frazer Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Lower Burrell | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| New Kensington | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Harrison Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Fawn Township | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 82 |
| East Deer Township | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Brackenridge | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Tarentum | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
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 Tarentum 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 Tarentum
Is Tarentum at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tarentum has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,031 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (99%). 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 Tarentum flood?
Flood insurance has paid 26 claims in Tarentum since 1978, $254K in all, or 11.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (11).
Is Tarentum 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 Tarentum?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tarentum’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 Tarentum?
By FEMA money that reached Tarentum, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 199 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 11 paid, $183K.
Is Tarentum at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (99%), and Tarentum’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tarentum.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tarentum’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.