Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Cambria
Cambria isn’t graded for hazard risk: Cambria has 795 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2008.
What Cambria faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hail
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.
Does Cambria flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cambria, from FEMA’s records.
- The Storm1 claim · $11K
Cambria isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Columbia County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cambria
Disasters that paid out in Cambria itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Cambria), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding43 households applied for aid$82K aid approved$81K to the Village of Cambria for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$1.2M to the Village of Cambria for repairs
- 2000Snow$1K to the Village of Cambria for repairs
Columbia County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Cambria after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cambria archive →Cambria and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Cambria faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Cambria
Does Cambria flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Cambria since 2008, $11K in all. The most claims came from Storm (1).
Is Cambria 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 Columbia County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cambria?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cambria’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 Cambria?
By FEMA money that reached Cambria, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): 10 households applied for aid, $9K approved, and $1.2M to the Village of Cambria for repairs. By flood claims, Storm: 1 paid, $11K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cambria.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cambria’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.