FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Hazle Township than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hazle Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #24 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1985.
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 Hazle 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
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 Hazle Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hazle Township, and Hazle Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #24 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hazle Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hazle Township has less expected damage per building than 98% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Hazle Township: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hazle Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hazle Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $27K
Hazle 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 Hazle Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hazle Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Luzerne County
- 19851 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Gloria, declared for Luzerne County
- 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Luzerne County
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 Hazle Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hazle Township archive →Hazle Township and its neighbors
Hazle Township is 2nd of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kline Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hazle Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Hazleton | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| West Hazleton | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Foster Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Banks Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sugarloaf Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Butler Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Black Creek Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Pardeesville | — | 366 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 Hazle 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Hazle Township
Is Hazle Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hazle Township has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #24 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Hazle Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Hazle Township since 1985, $553K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (1).
Is Hazle 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 Hazle Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hazle 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 Hazle Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 1 paid, $27K.
Is Hazle Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Hazle Township’s rate for it is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hazle Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hazle 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.