Photo: User:Ruhrfisch · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Hepburn Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hepburn Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #1,009 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 225 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 Hepburn Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Hepburn 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 Hepburn Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hepburn Township, and Hepburn Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D #1,009 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hepburn 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, Hepburn Township has more expected damage per building than 97% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Hepburn Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hepburn Township flood? Yes: 225 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hepburn Township, from FEMA’s records: 194.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee36 claims · $962K
- Tropical Storm Ivan18 claims · $280K
- Hurricane Debby3 claims · $53K
Hepburn 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: Lycoming County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hepburn Township
Disasters that paid out in Hepburn Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Hepburn Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding$72K to Hepburn Township for repairs11 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee$64K to Hepburn Township for repairs36 flood claims paid for it, $962K
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$10K to Hepburn Township for repairs18 flood claims paid for it, $280K
Lycoming County has had 17 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.
Old photos of Hepburn Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hepburn Township archive →Hepburn Township and its neighbors
Hepburn Township is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loyalsock Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 263 |
| Eldred Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lycoming Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 237 |
| Hepburn Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 225 |
| Lewis Township | — | 988 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Gamble Township | — | 804 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 Hepburn 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 Hepburn Township
Is Hepburn Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hepburn Township has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,009 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Hepburn Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 225 claims in Hepburn Township since 1978, $3.5M in all, or 194.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 37 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (36).
Is Hepburn 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 Lycoming County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hepburn Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hepburn 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 Hepburn Township?
By FEMA money that reached Hepburn Township, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): $72K to Hepburn Township for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 36 paid, $962K.
Is Hepburn Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Hepburn Township’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hepburn Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hepburn 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.