On FEMA’s figures, Laflin faces less hazard damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laflin gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim 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 Laflin 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 Laflin’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Laflin, and Laflin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Laflin’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $412K a year in losses across Laflin: $329K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Laflin flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Laflin, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Laflin 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 Laflin remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Laflin itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19961 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 Laflin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Laflin archive →Laflin and its neighbors
Laflin has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laflin | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Jenkins Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 170 |
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 Laflin 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 Laflin
Is Laflin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laflin has lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Laflin flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Laflin since 1996, $3K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Laflin 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 Laflin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Laflin’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Laflin at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Laflin’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Laflin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Laflin’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.