Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Upper Tyrone Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Tyrone Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1985.
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 Tyrone 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 Tyrone Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Upper Tyrone Township, and Upper Tyrone Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Upper Tyrone Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $648K a year in losses across Upper Tyrone Township: $596K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Upper Tyrone Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Upper Tyrone Township, from FEMA’s records: 6.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Upper Tyrone 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: Fayette County.The storms Upper Tyrone Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Fayette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Upper Tyrone Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19853 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Fayette County
- 20131 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Fayette County
- 20261 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Fayette County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Upper Tyrone Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Upper Tyrone Township archive →Upper Tyrone Township and its neighbors
Upper Tyrone Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Huntingdon Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Bullskin Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Dunbar Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Connellsville Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Upper Tyrone Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Lower Tyrone Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Scottdale | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Everson | — | 592 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 Upper Tyrone 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 Tyrone Township
Is Upper Tyrone Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Tyrone Township has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Tyrone Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Upper Tyrone Township since 1985, $15K in all, or 6.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Upper Tyrone 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 Fayette County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Upper Tyrone Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Upper Tyrone Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Upper Tyrone Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Upper Tyrone Township’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Upper Tyrone Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Upper Tyrone 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.