Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Avoca than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Avoca gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #948 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1978.
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
What Avoca 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.
What’s behind Avoca’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Avoca, and Avoca’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #948 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Avoca’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Avoca has more expected damage per building than 91% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $801K a year in losses across Avoca: $650K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Avoca flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Avoca, from FEMA’s records: 17.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Gloria4 claims · $13K
- Tropical Storm Ivan3 claims · $13K
Avoca isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Luzerne County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Avoca
Disasters that paid out in Avoca itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Avoca), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$2K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan21 households applied for aid$33K aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $13K
Luzerne County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Avoca after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Avoca archive →Avoca and its neighbors
Avoca is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittston Township | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Dupont | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Avoca | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Duryea | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
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.
Get ready for what Avoca 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 Avoca
Is Avoca at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Avoca has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #948 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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.
Does Avoca flood?
Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Avoca since 1978, $109K in all, or 17.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Gloria (4).
Is Avoca 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 Luzerne County, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Avoca?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Avoca’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 Avoca?
By FEMA money that reached Avoca, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 21 households applied for aid, $33K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Gloria: 4 paid, $13K.
Is Avoca at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Avoca’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Avoca.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Avoca’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.