Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Verona’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Verona gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 43 claims here since 1981.
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 Verona’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Verona 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 Verona’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Verona, and Verona’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Verona’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Verona: $804K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Verona flood? Sometimes: 43 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Verona, from FEMA’s records: 32.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan20 claims · $217K
Verona isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Allegheny County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Verona
Disasters that paid out in Verona itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Verona), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan147 households applied for aid$396K aid approved20 flood claims paid for it, $217K
Allegheny County has had 15 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 Verona after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Verona archive →Verona and its neighbors
Verona is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Hills | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| O'Hara Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Verona | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Oakmont | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
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 Verona 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 Verona
Is Verona at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Verona has higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Verona flood?
Flood insurance has paid 43 claims in Verona since 1981, $456K in all, or 32.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 8 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (20).
Is Verona 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 Allegheny County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Verona?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Verona’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 Verona?
By FEMA money that reached Verona, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 147 households applied for aid, $396K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 20 paid, $217K.
Is Verona at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Verona’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Verona.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Verona’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.