Natural hazards · Rochester

Rochester, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Rochester comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Rochester?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Rochester to be higher than in 6% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding80%Tornadoes6%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Rochester faces

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

Inland flooding

80% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 23% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

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

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce 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 Rochester flood?

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

3paid claims since 1978

$21Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19782026

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. Rochester 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 Rochester

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into RochesterDeclared for Beaver County only

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

Around Rochester

Rochester and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bridgewatermostly inland floodingHigh

Fallstonmostly inland floodingHigh

New Brightonmostly inland floodingModerate

Freedommostly inland floodingModerate

Daughertymostly inland floodingLow

Pulaskimostly inland floodingVery low

New Sewickleymostly inland floodingVery low

Rochestermostly inland floodingVery low

East Rochestermostly 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. Rochester covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Rochester’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Rochester. 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 Rochester total about $565K 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.