St. Vincent Archabbey Gristmill · Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Unity Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Unity Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #46 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 89 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 Unity Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Unity 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 Unity Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Unity Township, and Unity Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #46 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Unity Township’s residents live in 6 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, Unity Township has less expected damage per building than 96% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Unity Township: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Unity Township flood? Sometimes: 89 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Unity Township, from FEMA’s records: 9.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan7 claims · $326K
- Hurricane Sandy5 claims · $206K
Unity 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: Westmoreland County.The storms Unity Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Westmoreland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Unity Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 197913 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 198111 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20049 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County has had 17 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 Unity Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Unity Township archive →Unity Township and its neighbors
Unity Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hempfield Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 93 |
| Unity Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 89 |
| Derry Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Salem Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Mount Pleasant Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 46 |
| Cook Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Latrobe | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Ligonier Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 203 |
| Lawson Heights | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Crabtree | — | 201 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 Unity 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 Unity Township
Is Unity Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Unity Township has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #46 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Unity Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 89 claims in Unity Township since 1978, $1.2M in all, or 9.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 15 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (7).
Is Unity 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 Westmoreland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Unity Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Unity 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 Unity Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 7 paid, $326K.
Is Unity Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Unity Township’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Unity Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Unity 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.