Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Cleona than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cleona gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 8 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 Cleona 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.
What’s behind Cleona’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cleona, and Cleona’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Cleona’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $917K a year in losses across Cleona: $803K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cleona flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cleona, from FEMA’s records: 9.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $42K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $10K
Cleona isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lebanon County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cleona
Disasters that paid out in Cleona itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Cleona), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee140 households applied for aid$453K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $42K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides15 households applied for aid$32K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Lebanon County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Cleona after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cleona archive →Cleona and its neighbors
Cleona is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Lebanon Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| North Cornwall Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Cleona | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Pleasant Hill | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Cleona 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 Cleona
Is Cleona at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cleona has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) 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 Cleona flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Cleona since 1978, $64K in all, or 9.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Cleona 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 Lebanon County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cleona?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cleona’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 Cleona?
By FEMA money that reached Cleona, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 140 households applied for aid, $453K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $42K.
Is Cleona at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Cleona’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cleona.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cleona’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.