Photo: User:Ruhrfisch · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Fairmount Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairmount Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2004.
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 Fairmount 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 Fairmount Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairmount Township, and Fairmount Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fairmount Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $332K a year in losses across Fairmount Township: $255K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fairmount Township flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fairmount Township, from FEMA’s records: 12.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $33K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $14K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $9K
Fairmount 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: Luzerne County.The storms Fairmount Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fairmount Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20063 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Luzerne County
- 20113 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Luzerne County
- 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Luzerne County
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 Fairmount Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fairmount Township archive →Fairmount Township and its neighbors
Fairmount Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Huntington Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Fairmount Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Benton Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 249 |
| Colley Township | — | 611 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 Fairmount 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 Fairmount Township
Is Fairmount Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairmount Township has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Fairmount Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Fairmount Township since 2004, $110K in all, or 12.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Fairmount 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 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 Fairmount Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fairmount 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 Fairmount Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $33K.
Is Fairmount Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Fairmount Township’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairmount Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fairmount 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.