FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Jenkins Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jenkins Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #722 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 170 claims here since 1979.
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 Jenkins Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Jenkins 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 Jenkins Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jenkins Township, and Jenkins Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #722 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Jenkins 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, Jenkins Township has more expected damage per building than 70% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Jenkins Township: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Jenkins Township flood? Yes: 170 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jenkins Township, from FEMA’s records: 77.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee51 claims · $5.5M
- Tropical Storm Ivan34 claims · $1.2M
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $16K
Jenkins 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 Jenkins Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Jenkins Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201151 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Luzerne County
- 200435 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Luzerne County
- 199631 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 Jenkins Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Jenkins Township archive →Jenkins Township and its neighbors
Jenkins Township is 7th of the 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laflin | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bear Creek Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Spring Brook Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Thornhurst Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pittston Township | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Wyoming | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Jenkins Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 170 |
| Plains Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 198 |
| Exeter | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 63 |
| Pittston | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| Yatesville | — | 749 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 Jenkins 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 Jenkins Township
Is Jenkins Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jenkins Township has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #722 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Jenkins Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 170 claims in Jenkins Township since 1979, $8.0M in all, or 77.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 22 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (51).
Is Jenkins 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 Jenkins Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jenkins 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 Jenkins Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 51 paid, $5.5M.
Is Jenkins Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Jenkins Township’s rate for it is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jenkins Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Jenkins 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.