Natural hazards · Blair

Blair, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Blair comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 54 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Blair?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Blair to be higher than in 31% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding81%Everything else20%

By hazard

What Blair faces

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

Inland flooding

81% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtTsunamisVolcanic 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 Blair flood?

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

54paid claims since 1979

$564Kpaid to owners

11homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 8 claims, $79K
Tropical Storm Lee: 4 claims, $59K
Hurricane Ida: 4 claims, $28K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Blair County.

Disasters that hit Blair

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BlairDeclared for Blair County only

Blair County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Blair

Blair and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Duncansvillemostly inland floodingHigh

Hollidaysburgmostly inland floodingLow

Frankstownmostly inland floodingLow

Taylormostly inland floodingLow

Freedommostly inland floodingLow

Blairmostly inland floodingLow

Alleghenymostly 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. Blair covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Blair’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Blair. 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 Blair total about $1.3M 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.