Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Conyngham’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Conyngham gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1983.
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 Conyngham 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 Conyngham’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Conyngham, and Conyngham’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Conyngham’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $363K a year in losses across Conyngham: $261K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Conyngham flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Conyngham, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Conyngham 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Conyngham
Disasters that paid out in Conyngham itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Conyngham), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan23 households applied for aid$31K aid approved
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 Conyngham after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Conyngham archive →Get ready for what Conyngham 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 Conyngham
Is Conyngham at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Conyngham has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). 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 Conyngham flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Conyngham since 1983, $39K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Conyngham 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 Conyngham?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Conyngham’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 Conyngham?
By FEMA money that reached Conyngham, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 23 households applied for aid, $31K approved.
Is Conyngham at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Conyngham’s rate for it is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Conyngham.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Conyngham’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.