Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Union Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #515 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Union 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 Union Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Union Township, and Union Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #515 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Union 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, Union Township has less expected damage per building than 50% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $984K a year in losses across Union Township: $891K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Union Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Union Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Union 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: Lawrence County.The storms Union Township remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Lawrence County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Union Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Lawrence County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Union Township and its neighbors
Union Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Neshannock Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| North Beaver Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Mahoning Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| New Castle | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
| Oakwood | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Oakland | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Edinburg | — | 196 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| New Castle Northwest | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Union 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 Union Township
Is Union Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #515 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Union 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 Lawrence County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Union Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Union Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Union Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Union Township’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Union Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Union 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.