Natural hazards · Forward

Forward, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Forward comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 160 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Forward?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Forward to be higher than in 59% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding91%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Forward faces

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

Inland flooding

91% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% 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 Forward flood?

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

160paid claims since 1978

$2.3Mpaid to owners

21homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 14 claims, $570K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (9) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Forward 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.

Disasters that hit Forward

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ForwardDeclared for Butler County only

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

Around Forward

Forward and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Forwardmostly inland floodingModerate

Evans Citymostly inland floodingModerate

Jacksonmostly inland floodingLow

Callerymostly inland floodingLow

Pennmostly inland floodingLow

Adamsmostly inland floodingVery low

Connoquenessingmostly 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. Forward covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Forward’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Forward. 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 Forward total about $1.7M 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.