Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Coolbaugh Township than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coolbaugh Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #87 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then hurricanes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1984.
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 Coolbaugh 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
Earthquakes
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 Coolbaugh Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Coolbaugh Township, and Coolbaugh Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #87 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Coolbaugh Township’s residents live in 8 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, Coolbaugh Township has less expected damage per building than 92% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.1M a year in losses across Coolbaugh Township: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Coolbaugh Township flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Coolbaugh Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $4K
- The December nor’easter1 claim · $12K
Coolbaugh 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: Monroe County.The storms Coolbaugh Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Monroe County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Coolbaugh Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20063 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Monroe County
- 20233 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20242 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Monroe 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 Coolbaugh Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Coolbaugh Township archive →Coolbaugh Township and its neighbors
Coolbaugh Township is 3rd of the 8 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 Pocono | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Clifton Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Coolbaugh Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Tobyhanna Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Thornhurst Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lehigh Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Dreher Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Greene Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Gouldsboro | — | 713 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 Coolbaugh 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Coolbaugh Township
Is Coolbaugh Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coolbaugh Township has lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #87 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and hurricanes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Coolbaugh Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Coolbaugh Township since 1984, $126K in all, or 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (1).
Is Coolbaugh 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 Monroe County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Coolbaugh Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Coolbaugh 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 Coolbaugh Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 1 paid, $4K.
Is Coolbaugh Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Coolbaugh Township’s rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Coolbaugh Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Coolbaugh 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.