Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli from Pennsylvania, USA · CC BY 2.0FEMA puts Mifflinburg’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mifflinburg gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #983 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 46 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 Mifflinburg 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
Strong wind
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 Mifflinburg’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mifflinburg, and Mifflinburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 5%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #983 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Mifflinburg’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, Mifflinburg has more expected damage per building than 95% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Mifflinburg: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mifflinburg flood? Sometimes: 46 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mifflinburg, from FEMA’s records: 26.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan9 claims · $254K
- Hurricane Debby1 claim · $16K
Mifflinburg isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Union County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mifflinburg
Disasters that paid out in Mifflinburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Mifflinburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Debby25 households applied for aid$109K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $16K
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee11 households applied for aid$4K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan28 households applied for aid$104K aid approved9 flood claims paid for it, $254K
Union County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Mifflinburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mifflinburg archive →Mifflinburg and its neighbors
Mifflinburg is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Limestone Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 103 |
| West Buffalo Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Mifflinburg | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 46 |
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 Mifflinburg 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Mifflinburg
Is Mifflinburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mifflinburg has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #983 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and strong wind (5%). 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 Mifflinburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 46 claims in Mifflinburg since 1979, $759K in all, or 26.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (9).
Is Mifflinburg 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 Union County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mifflinburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mifflinburg’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 Mifflinburg?
By FEMA money that reached Mifflinburg, Tropical Storm Debby (2024): 25 households applied for aid, $109K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 9 paid, $254K.
Is Mifflinburg at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Mifflinburg’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mifflinburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mifflinburg’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.