Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Upper Yoder Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Yoder Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #72 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). 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 Yoder 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
Tornadoes
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 Yoder Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Upper Yoder Township, and Upper Yoder Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 5% (lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #72 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Upper Yoder Township’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, Upper Yoder Township has less expected damage per building than 93% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $759K a year in losses across Upper Yoder Township: $575K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Upper Yoder Township flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Upper Yoder Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Upper Yoder 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: Cambria County.The storms Upper Yoder Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cambria County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Upper Yoder Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19816 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19782 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19841 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cambria County has had 15 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 Yoder Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Upper Yoder Township archive →Upper Yoder Township and its neighbors
Upper Yoder Township is 3rd of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southmont | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Westmont | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Upper Yoder Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Lower Yoder Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Conemaugh Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Stonycreek Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Ferndale | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Johnstown | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 166 |
| Fairfield Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Elim | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Riverside | — | 267 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 Yoder 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Yoder Township
Is Upper Yoder Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Yoder Township has lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #72 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (5%). 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 Yoder Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Upper Yoder Township since 1978, $16K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Upper Yoder 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 Cambria County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Upper Yoder Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Upper Yoder Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Upper Yoder Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Upper Yoder Township’s rate for it is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Upper Yoder Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Upper Yoder 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.