Photo: Ruhrfisch · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Bloomsburg faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bloomsburg gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #725 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 858 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 stands out about Bloomsburg’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Bloomsburg 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 Bloomsburg’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bloomsburg, and Bloomsburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #725 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bloomsburg’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bloomsburg has more expected damage per building than 70% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across Bloomsburg: $3.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bloomsburg flood? Yes: 858 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bloomsburg, from FEMA’s records: 159.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee313 claims · $19.9M
- Tropical Storm Ivan89 claims · $1.4M
- The Torrential rain4 claims · $21K
Bloomsburg is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Columbia County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bloomsburg
Disasters that paid out in Bloomsburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bloomsburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee1,532 households applied for aid$6.3M aid approved313 flood claims paid for it, $19.9M
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides669 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved237 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding15 households applied for aid$7K aid approved33 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan97 households applied for aid$141K aid approved89 flood claims paid for it, $1.4M
Columbia County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bloomsburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bloomsburg archive →Bloomsburg and its neighbors
Bloomsburg has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomsburg | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 858 |
| Hemlock Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 256 |
| Montour Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
| Mount Pleasant Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Scott Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Fernville | — | 456 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Rupert | — | 164 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Catawissa Township | — | 891 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.
Get ready for what Bloomsburg 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.
- Bloomsburg residents get 20% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Bloomsburg
Is Bloomsburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bloomsburg has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #725 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bloomsburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 858 claims in Bloomsburg since 1978, $31.5M in all, or 159.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 184 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (313).
Is Bloomsburg 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 Columbia County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bloomsburg?
Bloomsburg is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Bloomsburg?
By FEMA money that reached Bloomsburg, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 1,532 households applied for aid, $6.3M approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 313 paid, $19.9M.
Is Bloomsburg at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Bloomsburg’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bloomsburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bloomsburg’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.