Photo: Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Muncy than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Muncy gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 411 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 stands out about Muncy’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Muncy 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 Muncy’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Muncy, and Muncy’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Muncy’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Muncy: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Muncy flood? Yes: 411 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Muncy, from FEMA’s records: 352.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee109 claims · $2.3M
- Tropical Storm Ivan78 claims · $1.4M
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $73K
Muncy isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lycoming County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Muncy
Disasters that paid out in Muncy itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Muncy), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee261 households applied for aid$671K aid approved109 flood claims paid for it, $2.3M
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan114 households applied for aid$189K aid approved78 flood claims paid for it, $1.4M
Lycoming County has had 17 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 Muncy after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Muncy archive →Get ready for what Muncy 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 Muncy
Is Muncy at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Muncy has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Muncy flood?
Flood insurance has paid 411 claims in Muncy since 1979, $5.5M in all, or 352.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 69 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (109).
Is Muncy 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 Lycoming County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Muncy?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Muncy’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 Muncy?
By FEMA money that reached Muncy, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 261 households applied for aid, $671K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 109 paid, $2.3M.
Is Muncy at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Muncy’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Muncy.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Muncy’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.