Denison House · Photo: John Jennings · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Forty Fort faces more hazard damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Forty Fort gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #846 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 36 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 Forty Fort 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 Forty Fort’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Forty Fort, and Forty Fort’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #846 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Forty Fort’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, Forty Fort has more expected damage per building than 82% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Forty Fort: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Forty Fort flood? Sometimes: 36 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Forty Fort, from FEMA’s records: 18.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $2K
Forty Fort 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Forty Fort
Disasters that paid out in Forty Fort itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Forty Fort), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides14 households applied for aid$18K aid approved9 flood claims paid that year
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 Forty Fort after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Forty Fort archive →Forty Fort and its neighbors
Forty Fort is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swoyersville | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Wyoming | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Forty Fort | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Plains Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 198 |
| Kingston | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 108 |
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 Forty Fort 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 Forty Fort
Is Forty Fort at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Forty Fort has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #846 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. 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 Forty Fort flood?
Flood insurance has paid 36 claims in Forty Fort since 1978, $148K in all, or 18.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Forty Fort 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 Forty Fort?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Forty Fort’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 Forty Fort?
By FEMA money that reached Forty Fort, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 14 households applied for aid, $18K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $2K.
Is Forty Fort at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Forty Fort’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Forty Fort.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Forty Fort’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.