Photo: Hope Moore on Flickr · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Vernon Township faces less hazard damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vernon Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #522 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1980.
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 Vernon 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 Vernon Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Vernon Township, and Vernon Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #522 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Vernon 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, Vernon Township has more expected damage per building than 50% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Vernon Township: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Vernon Township flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Vernon Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Vernon 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: Crawford County.The storms Vernon Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Crawford County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Vernon Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20045 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Crawford County
- 19802 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19812 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Crawford County
Crawford County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Vernon Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Vernon Township archive →Vernon Township and its neighbors
Vernon Township is 7th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Mead Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Greenwood Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hayfield Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Summit Township | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Sadsbury Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Meadville | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| Vernon Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Fredericksburg | — | 673 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Union Township | — | 818 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Kerrtown | — | 100 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 Vernon 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 Vernon Township
Is Vernon Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vernon Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #522 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. 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 Vernon Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Vernon Township since 1980, $98K in all, or 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Vernon 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 Crawford County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Vernon Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Vernon Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Vernon Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Vernon Township’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Vernon Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Vernon 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.