Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Eaton Township than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eaton Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 156 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Eaton Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Eaton 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
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 Eaton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Eaton Township, and Eaton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Eaton Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $867K a year in losses across Eaton Township: $814K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Eaton Township flood? Yes: 156 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Eaton Township, from FEMA’s records: 203.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee53 claims · $3.2M
- Tropical Storm Ivan23 claims · $395K
- The March 2010 nor’easter1 claim · $6K
Eaton 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: Wyoming County.The storms Eaton Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Wyoming County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Eaton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201154 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Wyoming County
- 200628 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Wyoming County
- 199624 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Wyoming County
Wyoming County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Eaton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Eaton Township archive →Eaton Township and its neighbors
Eaton Township is 3rd of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunkhannock Township | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 87 |
| Tunkhannock | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 99 |
| Eaton Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 156 |
| Washington Township | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Falls Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 147 |
| Monroe Township | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Northmoreland Township | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Eaton 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.
- 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 Eaton Township
Is Eaton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eaton Township has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Eaton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 156 claims in Eaton Township since 1978, $4.5M in all, or 203.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 31 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (53).
Is Eaton 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 Wyoming County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Eaton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Eaton 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 Eaton Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 53 paid, $3.2M.
Is Eaton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Eaton Township’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Eaton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Eaton 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.