Storms, floods and disasters in Buck Township
Buck Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Buck Township has 269 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1983.
What Buck 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
Hurricanes
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 Buck Township flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Buck Township, from FEMA’s records.
- The Torrential rain1 claim · $3K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $24K
Buck 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.The storms Buck Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Buck Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20052 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Luzerne County
- 20062 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Luzerne County
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Buck Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Buck Township archive →Buck Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kidder Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Tobyhanna Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Bear Creek Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Thornhurst Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Buck 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Buck Township
Does Buck Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Buck Township since 1983, $163K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (1).
Is Buck 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 Buck Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Buck 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 Buck Township?
By flood claims, Torrential rain: 1 paid, $3K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Buck Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Buck 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.