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Scranton kansas post office 2009Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Scranton Township · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Scranton Township than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Scranton Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then tornadoes (10%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 72%Tornadoes 10%Hail 8%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Kansas · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 22 declared for Osage County
By hazard

What Scranton Township faces

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

River and rain flooding

72%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Wildfire Ice storms Winter storms top 4% Earthquakes Lightning Cold waves Heat waves top 2% Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts ice storms at 17% of Scranton Township’s expected losses. Ice storms do little damage to buildings (2.3%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Scranton Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Scranton Township, and Scranton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 10%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Scranton Township sits
Scranton Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Scranton Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Tornadoes10%Hail8%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $867K a year in losses across Scranton Township: $474K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Scranton Township’s 1,133 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Burlingame township (1,704 residents) and Burlingame city (971 residents) and Scranton city (653 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Scranton Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Scranton Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Osage County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Scranton Township

Disasters that paid out in Scranton Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Scranton Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$17K to Scranton Township for repairs
  2. 2013Snowstorm$2K to Scranton Township for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$5K to Scranton Township for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm$9K to Scranton Township for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Scranton TownshipOsage County only

Osage County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Scranton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Scranton Township archive →
Next door

Scranton Township and its neighbors

Scranton Township is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Burlingame Township: hazard risk C−Dragoon Township: not gradedRidgeway Township: hazard risk B−Auburn Township: hazard risk CBurlingame TownshipDragoon TownshipRidgeway TownshipAuburn TownshipScranton Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Ridgeway TownshipB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding—
Auburn TownshipCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding—
Burlingame TownshipC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding4
Scranton TownshipC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding0
Dragoon Township—134 residents; we grade 1,000+

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Scranton Township faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Scranton Township

Is Scranton Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Scranton Township has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (10%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Scranton Township in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Osage County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Scranton Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Scranton Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Scranton Township?

By FEMA money that reached Scranton Township, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2015): $17K to Scranton Township for repairs.

Is Scranton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Scranton Township’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Scranton Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Scranton Township’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.