Natural hazards · Upper Burrell

Upper Burrell, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Upper Burrell comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Upper Burrell?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Upper Burrell to be higher than in 10% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding86%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Upper Burrell faces

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

Inland flooding

86% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 32% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times 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 Upper Burrell flood?

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

9paid claims since 1978

$144Kpaid to owners

2homes 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. Upper Burrell isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Westmoreland County.

Disasters that hit Upper Burrell

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Upper BurrellDeclared for Westmoreland County only

Westmoreland County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Upper Burrell

Upper Burrell and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lower Burrellmostly inland floodingLow

Alleghenymostly inland floodingLow

Murrysvillemostly inland floodingVery low

Washingtonmostly inland floodingVery low

Upper Burrellmostly inland floodingVery low

Plummostly 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. Upper Burrell covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Upper Burrell’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Upper Burrell. 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 Upper Burrell total about $655K 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.