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 expects about as much hazard damage per building in Dupont as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dupont gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #836 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1996.
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 Dupont 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 Dupont’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dupont, and Dupont’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #836 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Dupont’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Dupont has more expected damage per building than 81% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $686K a year in losses across Dupont: $532K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dupont flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dupont, from FEMA’s records: 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Dupont 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dupont
Disasters that paid out in Dupont itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Dupont), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$511 aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan7 households applied for aid$9K 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 Dupont after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dupont archive →Dupont and its neighbors
Dupont is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittston Township | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Dupont | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Avoca | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
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 Dupont 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 Dupont
Is Dupont at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dupont has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #836 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Dupont flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Dupont since 1996, $20K in all, or 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Dupont 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 Dupont?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dupont’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 Dupont?
By FEMA money that reached Dupont, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 7 households applied for aid, $9K approved.
Is Dupont at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Dupont’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dupont.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dupont’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.