Natural hazards · Potter

Potter, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Potter comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Potter?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Potter to be higher than in 1% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding73%Tornadoes9%Strong wind6%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Potter faces

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

Inland flooding

73% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 4% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 45% of U.S. places

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtTsunamisVolcanic 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 Potter flood?

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

10paid claims since 1979

$50Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 2 claims, $8K
Not a named storm: 1 claim, $326

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

Insurance rates: Beaver County.

Disasters that hit Potter

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into PotterDeclared for Beaver County only

Beaver County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around Potter

Potter and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Industrymostly inland floodingModerate

Beavermostly inland floodingLow

Vanportmostly inland floodingLow

Shippingportmostly inland floodingVery low

Centermostly inland floodingVery low

Raccoonmostly inland floodingVery low

Pottermostly 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. Potter covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Potter’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Potter. 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 Potter total about $785K 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.