Natural hazards · Shirley

Shirley, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Shirley comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 41 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Shirley?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Shirley to be higher than in 71% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding81%Strong wind10%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Shirley faces

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

Inland flooding

81% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

10% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce 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 Shirley flood?

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

41paid claims since 1978

$919Kpaid to owners

5homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 14 claims, $571K
Hurricane Ida: 2 claims, $16K
Tropical Storm Lee: 1 claim, $25K

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

Insurance rates: Huntingdon County.

Disasters that hit Shirley

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ShirleyDeclared for Huntingdon County only

Huntingdon County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Shirley

Shirley and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Waynemostly inland floodingHigh

Cromwellmostly inland floodingHigh

Lackmostly inland floodingHigh

Shirleymostly inland floodingHigh

Unionmostly inland floodingHigh

Cassmostly inland floodingHigh

Bradymostly inland floodingHigh

Mount Unionmostly inland floodingHigh

Tellmostly inland floodingModerate

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. Shirley covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Shirley’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Shirley. 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 Shirley total about $1.1M 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.