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 Edwardsville as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Edwardsville gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #778 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 31 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 Edwardsville 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 Edwardsville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Edwardsville, and Edwardsville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #778 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Edwardsville’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, Edwardsville has more expected damage per building than 75% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Edwardsville: $839K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Edwardsville flood? Sometimes: 31 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Edwardsville, from FEMA’s records: 13.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee5 claims · $1.6M
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $71K
Edwardsville 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 Edwardsville remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Edwardsville itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19808 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20116 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Luzerne County
- 19785 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 Edwardsville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Edwardsville archive →Edwardsville and its neighbors
Edwardsville is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larksville | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Edwardsville | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Kingston | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 108 |
| Wilkes-Barre | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 523 |
| Pringle | — | 803 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 Edwardsville 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 Edwardsville
Is Edwardsville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Edwardsville has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #778 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). 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 Edwardsville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 31 claims in Edwardsville since 1978, $2.5M in all, or 13.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (5).
Is Edwardsville 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 Edwardsville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Edwardsville’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 Edwardsville?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 5 paid, $1.6M.
Is Edwardsville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Edwardsville’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Edwardsville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Edwardsville’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.