Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts McAdoo’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McAdoo gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 2006.
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 McAdoo 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 McAdoo’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in McAdoo, and McAdoo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of McAdoo’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $389K a year in losses across McAdoo: $226K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does McAdoo flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in McAdoo, from FEMA’s records: 7.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
McAdoo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Schuylkill County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to McAdoo
Disasters that paid out in McAdoo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of McAdoo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee2 households applied for aid$521 aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides34 households applied for aid$25K aid approved3 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan5 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
Schuylkill County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of McAdoo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the McAdoo archive →McAdoo and its neighbors
McAdoo is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kline Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| McAdoo | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 McAdoo 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 McAdoo
Is McAdoo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McAdoo has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) 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 McAdoo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in McAdoo since 2006, $57K in all, or 7.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is McAdoo 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 Schuylkill County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in McAdoo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for McAdoo’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 McAdoo?
By FEMA money that reached McAdoo, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 34 households applied for aid, $25K approved.
Is McAdoo at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and McAdoo’s rate for it is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in McAdoo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where McAdoo’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.