Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Foster Township than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Foster Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #142 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 24 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 Foster Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Foster 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
Hurricanes
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 Foster Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Foster Township, and Foster Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 7% (higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts).
A #142 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Foster 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, Foster Township has less expected damage per building than 86% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $638K a year in losses across Foster Township: $446K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Foster Township flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Foster Township, from FEMA’s records: 12.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Foster 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 Foster Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Foster Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19999 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20035 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19794 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county 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 Foster Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Foster Township archive →Foster Township and its neighbors
Foster Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazle Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Foster Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Kidder Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Butler Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| White Haven | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Dennison Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Lausanne Township | — | 380 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Jeddo | — | 158 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 Foster 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Foster Township
Is Foster Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Foster Township has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #142 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (7%). 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 Foster Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Foster Township since 1978, $243K in all, or 12.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Foster 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 Foster Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Foster Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Foster Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Foster Township’s rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Foster Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Foster 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.