Natural hazards · Butler

Butler, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Butler comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 95 claims here since 1981. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Butler?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Butler to be higher than in 56% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding89%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Butler faces

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

Inland flooding

89% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 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 Butler flood?

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

95paid claims since 1981

$794Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19812026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 19 claims, $221K
Hurricane Sandy: 1 claim, $4K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Butler County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Butler

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Butler itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Butler.

Brought FEMA money into ButlerDeclared for Butler County only

2004

Tropical Depression Ivan

135 households applied for aid $262K aid approved

2004

Severe Storms and Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Frances

21 households applied for aid $8K aid approved

Butler County has had 9 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

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. Butler covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Butler’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Butler. 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 Butler total about $3.5M 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.