Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Wilmerding’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wilmerding gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (99%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim 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 Wilmerding 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 Wilmerding’s grade
River and rain flooding is 99% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wilmerding, and Wilmerding’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Wilmerding’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Wilmerding: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wilmerding flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wilmerding, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Wilmerding 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 Wilmerding
Disasters that paid out in Wilmerding itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Wilmerding), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan5 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
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 Wilmerding after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wilmerding archive →Wilmerding and its neighbors
Wilmerding is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroeville | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| North Versailles Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| East McKeesport | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Turtle Creek | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 120 |
| Wilmerding | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| West Wilmerding | — | 475 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Wall | — | 563 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 Wilmerding 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 Wilmerding
Is Wilmerding at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wilmerding has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (99%). 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 Wilmerding flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Wilmerding since 1980, $118 in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Wilmerding 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 Wilmerding?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wilmerding’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 Wilmerding?
By FEMA money that reached Wilmerding, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 5 households applied for aid, $18K approved.
Is Wilmerding at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (99%), and Wilmerding’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wilmerding.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wilmerding’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.