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, Larksville faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Larksville gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #766 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 3 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 Larksville 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 Larksville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Larksville, and Larksville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #766 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Larksville’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, Larksville has more expected damage per building than 74% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Larksville: $791K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Larksville flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Larksville, from FEMA’s records: 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $229K
Larksville 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Larksville
Disasters that paid out in Larksville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Larksville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee5 households applied for aid$2K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $229K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan2 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
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 Larksville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Larksville archive →Larksville and its neighbors
Larksville is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hanover Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 90 |
| Larksville | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Edwardsville | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Wilkes-Barre | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 523 |
| Plymouth | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 76 |
| Plymouth Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 353 |
| Courtdale | — | 678 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Chase | — | 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 Larksville 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 Larksville
Is Larksville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Larksville has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #766 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 Larksville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Larksville since 1979, $230K in all, or 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Larksville 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 Larksville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Larksville’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 Larksville?
By FEMA money that reached Larksville, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 5 households applied for aid, $8K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $229K.
Is Larksville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Larksville’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Larksville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Larksville’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.