Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Jermyn faces more hazard damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jermyn gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 43 claims here since 1996.
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 Jermyn 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 Jermyn’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jermyn, and Jermyn’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Jermyn’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Jermyn: $903K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Jermyn flood? Sometimes: 43 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jermyn, from FEMA’s records: 41.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $2K
Jermyn isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lackawanna County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jermyn
Disasters that paid out in Jermyn itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Jermyn), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides17 households applied for aid$28K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan11 households applied for aid$29K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding134 households applied for aid$287K aid approved37 flood claims paid that year
Lackawanna County has had 18 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 Jermyn after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Jermyn archive →Jermyn and its neighbors
Jermyn is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Jermyn 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 Jermyn
Is Jermyn at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jermyn has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. 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 Jermyn flood?
Flood insurance has paid 43 claims in Jermyn since 1996, $776K in all, or 41.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (1).
Is Jermyn 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 Lackawanna County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Jermyn?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jermyn’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 Jermyn?
By FEMA money that reached Jermyn, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2003): 134 households applied for aid, $287K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 paid, $2K.
Is Jermyn at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Jermyn’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jermyn.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Jermyn’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.