Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Great Bend Township than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Great Bend 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 (94%). Flood insurance has paid 82 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 Great Bend 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 Great Bend Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Great Bend Township, and Great Bend 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 Great Bend Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Great Bend Township: $921K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Great Bend Township flood? Sometimes: 82 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Great Bend Township, from FEMA’s records: 105.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee42 claims · $2.8M
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $38K
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $18K
Great Bend 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: Susquehanna County.The storms Great Bend Township remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Susquehanna County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Great Bend Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201146 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Susquehanna County
- 200621 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Susquehanna County
- 20187 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Susquehanna County
Susquehanna County has had 20 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 Great Bend Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Great Bend Township archive →Great Bend Township and its neighbors
Great Bend Township is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| New Milford Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Great Bend Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 82 |
| Oakland Township | — | 541 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 Great Bend 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 Great Bend Township
Is Great Bend Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Great Bend 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 (94%). 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 Great Bend Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 82 claims in Great Bend Township since 1978, $4.7M in all, or 105.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 17 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (42).
Is Great Bend 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 Susquehanna County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Great Bend Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Great Bend 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 Great Bend Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 42 paid, $2.8M.
Is Great Bend Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Great Bend Township’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Great Bend Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Great Bend 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.