Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Dallas Township faces less hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dallas Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #79 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1987.
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 Dallas 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 Dallas Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dallas Township, and Dallas Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #79 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dallas Township’s residents live in 2 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, Dallas Township has less expected damage per building than 92% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Dallas Township: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dallas Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dallas Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Dallas 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: Luzerne County.The storms Dallas Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dallas Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20063 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Luzerne County
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Luzerne County
- 19871 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Dallas Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dallas Township archive →Dallas Township and its neighbors
Dallas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Lehman Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Dallas Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Kingston Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Jackson Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Harveys Lake | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Franklin Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Monroe Township | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Shavertown | — | 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 Dallas 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 Dallas Township
Is Dallas Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dallas Township has lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #79 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dallas Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Dallas Township since 1987, $289K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Dallas 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 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 Dallas Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dallas Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Dallas Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Dallas Township’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dallas Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dallas 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.