Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Coal Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coal Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #772 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 2006.
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 Coal 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.
What’s behind Coal Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Coal Township, and Coal Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #772 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Coal Township’s residents live in 3 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, Coal Township has more expected damage per building than 74% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Coal Township: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Coal Township flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Coal Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee10 claims · $133K
Coal 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: Northumberland County.The storms Coal Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Northumberland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Coal Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201111 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Northumberland County
- 20068 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Northumberland County
Northumberland County has had 15 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 Coal Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Coal Township archive →Coal Township and its neighbors
Coal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Carmel Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Ralpho Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Shamokin Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Coal Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Cleveland Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Zerbe Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| East Cameron Township | — | 663 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| West Cameron Township | — | 557 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 Coal 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 Coal Township
Is Coal Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coal Township has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #772 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and hurricanes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Coal Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Coal Township since 2006, $193K in all, or 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (10).
Is Coal 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 Northumberland County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Coal Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Coal 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 Coal Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 10 paid, $133K.
Is Coal Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Coal Township’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Coal Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Coal 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.