Photo: en:User:Preost · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Fell Township than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fell Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1985.
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 Fell 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 Fell Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fell Township, and Fell Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fell Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Fell Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fell Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fell Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isabel1 claim · $756
Fell 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: Lackawanna County.The storms Fell Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Lackawanna County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fell Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20032 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Lackawanna County
- 19851 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Gloria, declared for Lackawanna County
- 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Lackawanna County
Lackawanna County has had 18 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 Fell Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fell Township archive →Fell Township and its neighbors
Fell Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfield Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Clifford Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Clinton Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Fell Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Carbondale Township | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Carbondale | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Vandling | — | 964 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 Fell 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 Fell Township
Is Fell Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fell Township has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Fell Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Fell Township since 1985, $24K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (1).
Is Fell 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 Lackawanna County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fell Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fell 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 Fell Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 1 paid, $756.
Is Fell Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Fell Township’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fell Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fell 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.