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O'Connor, J.S., American Rich Cut Glassware FactoryO'Connor, J.S., American Rich Cut Glassware Factory · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hawley · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Hawley faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hawley gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 88%Hurricanes 6%Tornadoes 2%

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 51%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 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2005 · $52K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 21 declared for Wayne County
By hazard

What Hawley 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

88%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Winter storms 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 Hawley’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hawley, and Hawley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Hawley sits
Hawley
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Hurricanes6%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $456K a year in losses across Hawley: $378K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hawley’s 1,229 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Berlin township (2,478 residents) and Palmyra township (1,251 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 town’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 Hawley flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hawley, from FEMA’s records: 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200520062021
20052026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ida1 claim · $3K
4
paid claims since 2005
$52K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$13K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Hawley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Wayne County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hawley

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

  1. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides37 households applied for aid$99K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding30 households applied for aid$39K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan45 households applied for aid$108K aid approved
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$326 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HawleyWayne County only

Wayne County has had 21 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hawley archive →
Next door

Hawley and its neighbors

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

Palmyra Township: hazard risk B−Palmyra Township: hazard risk APalmyra TownshipPalmyra TownshipHawley
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Palmyra TownshipAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding5
Palmyra TownshipB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding—
HawleyB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding4

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 Hawley 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 Hawley

Is Hawley at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hawley has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Hawley flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Hawley since 2005, $52K in all, or 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (1).

Is Hawley 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 Wayne County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hawley?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hawley, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 45 households applied for aid, $108K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 1 paid, $3K.

Is Hawley at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Hawley’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hawley.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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