Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Lonaconing
Lonaconing isn’t graded for hazard risk: Lonaconing has 889 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1979.
What Lonaconing 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
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.
Does Lonaconing flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lonaconing, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Fran12 claims · $120K
Lonaconing isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Allegany County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lonaconing
Disasters that paid out in Lonaconing itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Lonaconing), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Town of Lonaconing for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$5K to the Town of Lonaconing for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$13K to the Town of Lonaconing for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Isabel1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2003Snow$6K to the Town of Lonaconing for repairs
Allegany County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Lonaconing after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lonaconing archive →Get ready for what Lonaconing faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Lonaconing
Does Lonaconing flood?
Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Lonaconing since 1979, $160K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Fran (12).
Is Lonaconing 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 Allegany County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lonaconing?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lonaconing’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 Lonaconing?
By FEMA money that reached Lonaconing, Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms (2010): $13K to the Town of Lonaconing for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Fran: 12 paid, $120K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lonaconing.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lonaconing’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.