Joseph Bucher House · Photo: Smallbones · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Marietta faces more hazard damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marietta gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #1,002 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 140 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Marietta’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Marietta 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 Marietta’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Marietta, and Marietta’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
D #1,002 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Marietta’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, Marietta has more expected damage per building than 97% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Marietta: $818K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Marietta flood? Yes: 140 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Marietta, from FEMA’s records: 96.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee72 claims · $2.4M
- Tropical Storm Ivan18 claims · $229K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $5K
Marietta isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lancaster County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Marietta
Disasters that paid out in Marietta itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Marietta), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee168 households applied for aid$258K aid approved72 flood claims paid for it, $2.4M
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Lancaster County has had 18 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 Marietta after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Marietta archive →Marietta and its neighbors
Marietta 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Donegal Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| West Hempfield Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Marietta | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 140 |
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 Marietta 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 Marietta
Is Marietta at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marietta has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,002 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%) 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 Marietta flood?
Flood insurance has paid 140 claims in Marietta since 1978, $2.9M in all, or 96.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 18 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (72).
Is Marietta 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 Lancaster County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Marietta?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Marietta’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 Marietta?
By FEMA money that reached Marietta, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 168 households applied for aid, $258K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 72 paid, $2.4M.
Is Marietta at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Marietta’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marietta.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Marietta’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.