Luzerne County Fresh Air Camp · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Butler Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Butler Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #505 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2011.
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 Butler 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
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 Butler Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Butler Township, and Butler Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #505 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Butler Township’s residents live in 2 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, Butler Township has less expected damage per building than 51% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Butler Township: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Butler Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Butler Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $43K
Butler 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 Butler Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Butler Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Luzerne County
- 20212 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Luzerne County
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 Butler Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Butler Township archive →Butler Township and its neighbors
Butler Township is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazle Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Foster Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Sugarloaf Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Butler Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Dorrance Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Hollenback Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Pardeesville | — | 366 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Dennison Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Butler 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.
- 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 Butler Township
Is Butler Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Butler Township has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #505 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 Butler Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Butler Township since 2011, $80K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (2).
Is Butler 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 Butler Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Butler 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 Butler Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 2 paid, $43K.
Is Butler Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Butler Township’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Butler Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Butler 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.