Natural hazards · Big Beaver

Big Beaver, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Big Beaver comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1996.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Big Beaver?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Big Beaver to be higher than in 12% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding85%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Big Beaver faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

85% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Big Beaver flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Big Beaver, from FEMA’s records.

3paid claims since 1996

$17Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19962026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Big Beaver isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Beaver County.

Disasters that hit Big Beaver

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Beaver County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Big Beaver itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Big BeaverDeclared for Beaver County only

Beaver County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around Big Beaver

Big Beaver and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

New Beavermostly inland floodingHigh

Darlingtonmostly inland floodingHigh

North Sewickleymostly inland floodingModerate

Beaver Fallsmostly inland floodingLow

Big Beavermostly inland floodingVery low

Koppelmostly inland floodingVery low

West Mayfieldmostly inland floodingVery low

Chippewamostly inland floodingVery low

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Big Beaver covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Big Beaver’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Borough of Big Beaver. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Big Beaver total about $1.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.