Natural hazards · German

German, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in German comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is German?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in German to be higher than in 57% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding88%Everything else12%

By hazard

What German faces

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

Inland flooding

88% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 German flood?

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

7paid claims since 1978

$25Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Fayette County.

Disasters that hit German

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into GermanDeclared for Fayette County only

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

Around German

German and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Monongahelamostly inland floodingHigh

Luzernemostly inland floodingHigh

Cumberlandmostly inland floodingModerate

Germanmostly inland floodingModerate

Redstonemostly inland floodingModerate

Nicholsonmostly inland floodingModerate

Menallenmostly inland floodingModerate

Georgesmostly inland floodingLow

Masontownmostly inland floodingLow

South Unionmostly 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. German covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to German’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of German. 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 German total about $1.4M 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.