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AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Clarks Summit · FEMA

FEMA puts Clarks Summit’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clarks Summit gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #170 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 32 claims here since 1984.

River and rain flooding 86%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 93%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#170 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
A#170 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 93% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
32
paid since 1984 · $461K
Flooded more than once
2
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
3
of 18 declared for Lackawanna County

What stands out about Clarks Summit’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 93% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Remembers 20068 flood claims were paid for 2006 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Clarks Summit 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

86%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hail Lightning Wildfire 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 13% of Clarks Summit’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 Clarks Summit’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clarks Summit, and Clarks Summit’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Clarks Summit sits
Clarks Summit
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #170 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Clarks Summit’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Hurricanes6%Tornadoes3%Everything else4%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Clarks Summit has less expected damage per building than 84% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Clarks Summit: $799K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Clarks Summit’s 5,107 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’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 Clarks Summit flood? Sometimes: 32 flood claims since 1984

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clarks Summit, from FEMA’s records: 13.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1984: 1 claim1985: 2 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 1 claim1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 4 claims2004: 2 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 8 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 3 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200320062023
19842026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Gloria2 claims · $13K
  • Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $45K
  • Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $17K
32
paid claims since 1984
$461K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$14K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Clarks Summit isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Lackawanna County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clarks Summit

Disasters that paid out in Clarks Summit itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Clarks Summit), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides23 households applied for aid$56K aid approved8 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan20 households applied for aid$38K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $45K
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding67 households applied for aid$139K aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Clarks SummitLackawanna County only

Lackawanna County has had 18 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Clarks Summit archive →
Next door

Clarks Summit and its neighbors

Clarks Summit has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

South Abington Township: hazard risk AClarks Green: hazard risk AWaverly Township: hazard risk ASouth Abington TownshipClarks GreenWaverly TownshipClarks Summit
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Clarks SummitAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding32
Waverly TownshipAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding6
Clarks GreenAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding—
South Abington TownshipAless damage than 87%river and rain flooding7

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 Clarks Summit 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 Clarks Summit

Is Clarks Summit at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clarks Summit has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #170 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) 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 Clarks Summit flood?

Flood insurance has paid 32 claims in Clarks Summit since 1984, $461K in all, or 13.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Gloria (2).

Is Clarks Summit 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 Lackawanna County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Clarks Summit?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clarks Summit’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 Clarks Summit?

By FEMA money that reached Clarks Summit, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2003): 67 households applied for aid, $139K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Gloria: 2 paid, $13K.

Is Clarks Summit at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Clarks Summit’s rate for it is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clarks Summit.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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