Natural hazards · McCandless

McCandless, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in McCandless comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 35 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is McCandless?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in McCandless to be higher than in 2% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding70%Cold waves15%Tornadoes6%Everything else9%

By hazard

What McCandless faces

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

Inland flooding

70% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 12% of U.S. places

Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Cold waves

15% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 37% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 40% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 McCandless flood?

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

35paid claims since 1979

$720Kpaid to owners

4homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 16 claims, $514K
Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $22K

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. McCandless isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Allegheny County.

Disasters that hit McCandless

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into McCandlessDeclared for Allegheny County only

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

Around McCandless

McCandless and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Rossmostly inland floodingVery low

Hamptonmostly inland floodingVery low

Franklin Parkmostly inland floodingVery low

McCandlessmostly inland floodingVery low

Pinemostly 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. McCandless covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to McCandless’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of McCandless. 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 McCandless total about $5.2M 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.