Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Falls Township faces more hazard damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Falls Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 147 claims here since 1979.
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 Falls Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Falls 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 Falls Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Falls Township, and Falls Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Falls Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $825K a year in losses across Falls Township: $764K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Falls Township flood? Yes: 147 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Falls Township, from FEMA’s records: 177.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee44 claims · $2.9M
- Tropical Storm Ivan22 claims · $560K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $107K
Falls 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Falls Township
Disasters that paid out in Falls Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Falls Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee104 households applied for aid$597K aid approved44 flood claims paid for it, $2.9M
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides42 households applied for aid$60K aid approved12 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding11 households applied for aid$3K aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan33 households applied for aid$52K aid approved22 flood claims paid for it, $560K
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 Falls Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Falls Township archive →Falls Township and its neighbors
Falls Township is 4th of the 5 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 |
| Eaton Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 156 |
| Overfield Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Falls Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 147 |
| Northmoreland Township | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Exeter Township | — | 726 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| West Falls | — | 379 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 Falls 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 Falls Township
Is Falls Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Falls Township has higher expected damage per building than 83% 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 Falls Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 147 claims in Falls Township since 1979, $4.3M in all, or 177.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (44).
Is Falls 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 Falls Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Falls 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 Falls Township?
By FEMA money that reached Falls Township, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 104 households applied for aid, $597K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 44 paid, $2.9M.
Is Falls Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Falls Township’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Falls Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Falls 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.