Photo: Dasandman008 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Lake City than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake City gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #143 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 7 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 Lake City 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 Lake City’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake City, and Lake City’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
A #143 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lake City’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, Lake City has less expected damage per building than 86% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $483K a year in losses across Lake City: $422K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lake City flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lake City, from FEMA’s records: 6.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Lake City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Erie County.The storms Lake City remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Erie County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lake City itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19852 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, High Winds and Tornadoes, declared for Erie County
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Erie County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Lake City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lake City archive →Lake City and its neighbors
Lake City is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girard | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lake City | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Girard Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
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 Lake City 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 Lake City
Is Lake City at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake City has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #143 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Lake City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Lake City since 1981, $306K in all, or 6.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Lake City 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 Erie County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lake City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake City’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Lake City at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Lake City’s rate for it is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lake City’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.