Photo: Umrok · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Kingston Township faces less hazard damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kingston Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #198 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1981.
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 Kingston 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
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 Kingston Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kingston Township, and Kingston Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 5% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).
A #198 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Kingston 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, Kingston Township has less expected damage per building than 81% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Kingston Township: $776K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kingston Township flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kingston Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $3K
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $10K
Kingston 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 Kingston Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kingston Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200611 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Luzerne County
- 19872 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20042 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, 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 Kingston Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kingston Township archive →Kingston Township and its neighbors
Kingston Township is 2nd of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Kingston Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Jackson Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | — |
| West Wyoming | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Swoyersville | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Franklin Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Luzerne | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Courtdale | — | 678 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Shavertown | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Kingston 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.
- 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 Kingston Township
Is Kingston Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kingston Township has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #198 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and hurricanes (5%). 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 Kingston Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Kingston Township since 1981, $138K in all, or 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Kingston 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 Kingston Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kingston 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 Kingston Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $3K.
Is Kingston Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Kingston Township’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kingston Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kingston 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.