Photo: User:Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Blossburg than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blossburg gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 19 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 Blossburg 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 Blossburg’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Blossburg, and Blossburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Blossburg’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $628K a year in losses across Blossburg: $575K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Blossburg flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Blossburg, from FEMA’s records: 24.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan5 claims · $29K
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $3K
Blossburg isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tioga County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Blossburg
Disasters that paid out in Blossburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Blossburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Debby1 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan7 households applied for aid$5K aid approved5 flood claims paid for it, $29K
Tioga County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Blossburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Blossburg archive →Blossburg and its neighbors
Blossburg has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blossburg | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Hamilton Township | — | 756 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bloss Township | — | 456 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 Blossburg 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 Blossburg
Is Blossburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blossburg has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Blossburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Blossburg since 1978, $77K in all, or 24.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (5).
Is Blossburg 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 Tioga County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Blossburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Blossburg’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 Blossburg?
By FEMA money that reached Blossburg, Tropical Storm Debby (2024): 1 households applied for aid, $8K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 5 paid, $29K.
Is Blossburg at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Blossburg’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Blossburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Blossburg’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.