Photo: User:Ruhrfisch · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Fairfield Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfield Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #284 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 57 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 Fairfield Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Fairfield 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 Fairfield Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairfield Township, and Fairfield Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
A #284 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fairfield Township’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, Fairfield Township has less expected damage per building than 73% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $666K a year in losses across Fairfield Township: $543K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fairfield Township flood? Sometimes: 57 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fairfield Township, from FEMA’s records: 48.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee12 claims · $709K
- Tropical Storm Ivan8 claims · $350K
Fairfield 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: Lycoming County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fairfield Township
Disasters that paid out in Fairfield Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Fairfield Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to Fairfield Township for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee$93K to Fairfield Township for repairs12 flood claims paid for it, $709K
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$6K to Fairfield Township for repairs8 flood claims paid for it, $350K
- 2003Snow$3K to Fairfield Township for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Lycoming County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Fairfield Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fairfield Township archive →Fairfield Township and its neighbors
Fairfield Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| Loyalsock Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 263 |
| Upper Fairfield Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 81 |
| Clinton Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Muncy Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Montoursville | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 128 |
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 Fairfield 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 Fairfield Township
Is Fairfield Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfield Township has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #284 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Fairfield Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 57 claims in Fairfield Township since 1978, $1.6M in all, or 48.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (12).
Is Fairfield 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 Lycoming County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fairfield Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fairfield 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 Fairfield Township?
By FEMA money that reached Fairfield Township, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): $93K to Fairfield Township for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 12 paid, $709K.
Is Fairfield Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Fairfield Township’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairfield Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fairfield 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.