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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Harford Township · FEMA

FEMA puts Harford Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harford Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 86%Hurricanes 8%Tornadoes 3%

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

less than 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Pennsylvania · lower than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2008 · $134
Disasters paid out here
2
of 20 declared for Susquehanna County
By hazard

What Harford 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

86%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Harford Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harford Township, and Harford Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Harford Township sits
Harford Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Harford Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Hurricanes8%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $670K a year in losses across Harford Township: $574K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Harford Township’s 1,254 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with New Milford township (1,789 residents) and New Milford borough (812 residents) and Lakeside CDP (169 residents) and Harford CDP (140 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Harford Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Harford Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2008
20082026
1
paid claims since 2008
$134
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$134
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Harford 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.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Harford Township

Disasters that paid out in Harford Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Harford Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2011Tropical Storm Lee3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Harford TownshipSusquehanna County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Harford Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Harford Township archive →
Next door

Harford Township and its neighbors

Harford Township is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Brooklyn Township: not gradedLenox Township: hazard risk B−New Milford Township: hazard risk B+Gibson Township: hazard risk ABrooklyn TownshipLenox TownshipNew Milford TownshipGibson TownshipHarford Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Gibson TownshipAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding—
New Milford TownshipB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding2
Harford TownshipB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding1
Lenox TownshipB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding3
Brooklyn Township—646 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Harford 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Harford Township

Is Harford Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harford Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and hurricanes (8%). 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 Harford Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Harford Township since 2008, $134 in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Harford 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 Harford Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Harford 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 Harford Township?

By FEMA money that reached Harford Township, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 8 households applied for aid, $13K approved.

Is Harford Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Harford Township’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harford Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Harford 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.