Natural hazards · Johnstown

Johnstown, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Johnstown comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 166 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Johnstown?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Johnstown to be higher than in 48% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding84%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Johnstown faces

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

Inland flooding

84% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about once 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 Johnstown flood?

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

166paid claims since 1978

$736Kpaid to owners

5homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Sandy: 1 claim, $4K
Tropical Storm Lee: 1 claim, $3K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Cambria County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Johnstown

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into JohnstownDeclared for Cambria County only

Cambria County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.

Around Johnstown

Johnstown and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Johnstownmostly inland floodingModerate

Ferndalemostly inland floodingLow

West Taylormostly inland floodingLow

East Taylormostly inland floodingLow

Middle Taylormostly inland floodingLow

Stonycreekmostly inland floodingLow

Lorainmostly inland floodingLow

Lower Yodermostly inland floodingVery low

Upper Yodermostly inland floodingVery low

Westmontmostly inland floodingVery low

Conemaughmostly inland floodingVery low

Daisytownmostly inland floodingVery low

Southmontmostly 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. Johnstown covers 10 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Johnstown’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Johnstown. 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 Johnstown total about $7.0M 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.