Photo: Vasiliy Meshko · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Laurel Run
Laurel Run isn’t graded for hazard risk: Laurel Run has 469 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1996.
What Laurel Run 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.
Does Laurel Run flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Laurel Run, from FEMA’s records.
Laurel Run 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Laurel Run
Disasters that paid out in Laurel Run itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Laurel Run), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides1 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 Laurel Run after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Laurel Run archive →Laurel Run and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkes-Barre Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Bear Creek Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Georgetown | — | 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 Laurel Run 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 Laurel Run
Does Laurel Run flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Laurel Run since 1996, $3K in all.
Is Laurel Run 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 Laurel Run?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Laurel Run’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 Laurel Run?
By FEMA money that reached Laurel Run, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 1 households applied for aid, $5K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Laurel Run.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Laurel Run’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.