Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Hollenback Township faces more hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hollenback Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim 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 Hollenback 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 Hollenback Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hollenback Township, and Hollenback Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hollenback Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $437K a year in losses across Hollenback Township: $362K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hollenback Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hollenback Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Hollenback 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 Hollenback Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hollenback Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Hollenback Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hollenback Township archive →Hollenback Township and its neighbors
Hollenback Township is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugarloaf Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Butler Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Dorrance Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Nescopeck Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 73 |
| Conyngham Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 93 |
| Hollenback Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Hollenback 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 Hollenback Township
Is Hollenback Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hollenback Township has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C 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 Hollenback Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Hollenback Township since 1978, $268 in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Hollenback 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 Hollenback Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hollenback Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Hollenback Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Hollenback Township’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hollenback Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hollenback 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.