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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Moosic · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Moosic than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moosic gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #911 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1981.

River and rain flooding 94%Hurricanes 3%Tornadoes 1%

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

more than 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#911 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
C#911 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · higher than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
94% of expected building damage
Flood claims
15
paid since 1981 · $81K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
2
of 18 declared for Lackawanna County
By hazard

What Moosic 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

94%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Hail Winter storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Moosic’s grade

River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Moosic, and Moosic’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Moosic sits
Moosic
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #911 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Moosic’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding94%Everything else6%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Moosic has more expected damage per building than 88% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Moosic: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Moosic’s 5,959 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Moosic flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1981

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Moosic, from FEMA’s records: 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 4 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 4 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198519962004
19812026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $15K
  • Hurricane Gloria4 claims · $14K
15
paid claims since 1981
$81K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Moosic isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Lackawanna County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Moosic

Disasters that paid out in Moosic itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Moosic), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$5K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan19 households applied for aid$35K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $15K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MoosicLackawanna County only

Lackawanna County has had 18 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Moosic after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Moosic archive →
Next door

Moosic and its neighbors

Moosic is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Old Forge: hazard risk B−Taylor: hazard risk B+Scranton: hazard risk B−Old ForgeTaylorScrantonMoosic
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
TaylorB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding1
Old ForgeB−more damage than 53%river and rain flooding21
ScrantonB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding746
MoosicCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding15

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Moosic faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Moosic

Is Moosic at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moosic has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #911 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Moosic flood?

Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Moosic since 1981, $81K in all, or 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (4).

Is Moosic 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 Lackawanna County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Moosic?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Moosic’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 Moosic?

By FEMA money that reached Moosic, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 19 households applied for aid, $35K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 4 paid, $15K.

Is Moosic at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Moosic’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Moosic.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Moosic’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.