Hotel Lykens · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Lykens than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lykens gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 64 claims here since 1994.
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 Lykens 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 Lykens’ grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lykens, and Lykens’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lykens’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Lykens: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lykens flood? Sometimes: 64 flood claims since 1994
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lykens, from FEMA’s records: 66.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee32 claims · $401K
- Tropical Storm Ivan13 claims · $81K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $1K
Lykens isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dauphin County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lykens
Disasters that paid out in Lykens itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Lykens), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee79 households applied for aid$101K aid approved32 flood claims paid for it, $401K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$6K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan33 households applied for aid$114K aid approved13 flood claims paid for it, $81K
Dauphin County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Lykens after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lykens archive →Lykens and its neighbors
Lykens is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Wiconisco Township | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lykens | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 64 |
| Wiconsico | — | 734 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Lykens 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 Lykens
Is Lykens at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lykens has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Lykens flood?
Flood insurance has paid 64 claims in Lykens since 1994, $575K in all, or 66.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 12 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (32).
Is Lykens 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 Dauphin County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lykens?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lykens’ 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 Lykens?
By FEMA money that reached Lykens, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 33 households applied for aid, $114K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 32 paid, $401K.
Is Lykens at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Lykens’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lykens.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lykens’ 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.