Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Upper Burrell Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Burrell Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 9 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 Upper Burrell 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 Upper Burrell Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Upper Burrell Township, and Upper Burrell Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Upper Burrell Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $655K a year in losses across Upper Burrell Township: $615K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Upper Burrell Township flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Upper Burrell Township, from FEMA’s records: 9.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Upper Burrell 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 Upper Burrell Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Westmoreland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Upper Burrell Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19852 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Westmoreland County
- 20172 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Upper Burrell Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Upper Burrell Township archive →Upper Burrell Township and its neighbors
Upper Burrell Township is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plum | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Upper Burrell Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Washington Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Murrysville | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Allegheny Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Lower Burrell | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
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 Upper Burrell 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 Upper Burrell Township
Is Upper Burrell Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Burrell Township has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Upper Burrell Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Upper Burrell Township since 1978, $144K in all, or 9.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Upper Burrell 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 Upper Burrell Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Upper Burrell Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Upper Burrell Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Upper Burrell Township’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Upper Burrell Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Upper Burrell 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.