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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bear Creek Township · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Bear Creek Township than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bear Creek Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #372 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 84%Hurricanes 6%Tornadoes 3%

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

less than 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#372 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
A−#372 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1996 · $232K
Flood claims per home
3 per 1,000
fewer than 51% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Bear Creek 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

84%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Wildfire Winter storms Hail Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 12% of Bear Creek Township’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Bear Creek Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bear Creek Township, and Bear Creek Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Bear Creek Township sits
Bear Creek Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #372 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Hurricanes6%Tornadoes3%Everything else6%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bear Creek Township has less expected damage per building than 64% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $619K a year in losses across Bear Creek Township: $462K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Bear Creek Township’s 2,754 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Laurel Run borough (558 residents) and Buck township (379 residents) and Bear Creek Village borough (291 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 Bear Creek Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bear Creek Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 2 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620022011
19962026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $7K
4
paid claims since 1996
$232K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$58K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bear Creek 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: Luzerne County.
Disasters

The storms Bear Creek Township remembers

None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bear Creek Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20022 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  2. 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Luzerne County
  3. 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Luzerne County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Bear Creek TownshipLuzerne County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bear Creek Township archive →
Next door

Bear Creek Township and its neighbors

Bear Creek Township is 2nd of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Kidder Township: hazard risk APenn Lake Park: not gradedBuck Township: not gradedDennison Township: not gradedJenkins Township: hazard risk B−Thornhurst Township: hazard risk B+Fairview Township: hazard risk A−Plains Township: hazard risk C+Laurel Run: not gradedHanover Township: hazard risk BKidder TownshipPenn Lake ParkBuck TownshipDennison TownshipJenkins TownshipThornhurst TownshipFairview TownshipPlains TownshipLaurel RunHanover TownshipBear Creek Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Kidder TownshipAless damage than 92%river and rain flooding5
Bear Creek TownshipA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding4
Fairview TownshipA−less damage than 81%river and rain flooding—
Thornhurst TownshipB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding—
Hanover TownshipBless damage than 58%river and rain flooding90
Jenkins TownshipB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding170
Plains TownshipC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding198
Penn Lake Park—376 residents; we grade 1,000+
Buck Township—269 residents; we grade 1,000+
Dennison Township—not graded yet
Laurel Run—469 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 Bear Creek 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
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 Bear Creek Township

Is Bear Creek Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bear Creek Township has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #372 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Bear Creek Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Bear Creek Township since 1996, $232K in all, or 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Bear Creek 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 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 Bear Creek Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bear Creek 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 Bear Creek Township?

By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $7K.

Is Bear Creek Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Bear Creek Township’s rate for it is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bear Creek Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bear Creek 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.