More hazard damage per building is expected in Exeter than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Exeter gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, #975 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 63 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 Exeter 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 Exeter’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Exeter, and Exeter’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #975 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Exeter’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, Exeter has more expected damage per building than 94% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Exeter: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Exeter flood? Sometimes: 63 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Exeter, from FEMA’s records: 22.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee15 claims · $688K
- Tropical Storm Ivan6 claims · $22K
Exeter 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Exeter
Disasters that paid out in Exeter itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Exeter), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee85 households applied for aid$423K aid approved15 flood claims paid for it, $688K
- 2011Hurricane Irene4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides108 households applied for aid$263K aid approved9 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding23 households applied for aid$34K aid approved5 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan10 households applied for aid$22K aid approved6 flood claims paid for it, $22K
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 Exeter after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Exeter archive →Exeter and its neighbors
Exeter is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jenkins Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 170 |
| West Pittston | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 438 |
| Exeter | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 63 |
| Pittston | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| Exeter Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Duryea | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
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 Exeter 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 Exeter
Is Exeter at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Exeter has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #975 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. 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 Exeter flood?
Flood insurance has paid 63 claims in Exeter since 1978, $913K in all, or 22.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (15).
Is Exeter 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 Exeter?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Exeter’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 Exeter?
By FEMA money that reached Exeter, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 85 households applied for aid, $423K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 15 paid, $688K.
Is Exeter at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Exeter’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Exeter.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Exeter’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.