Photo: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Nanticoke’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nanticoke gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #474 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 55 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 Nanticoke’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Nanticoke 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 Nanticoke’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Nanticoke, and Nanticoke’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #474 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Nanticoke’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Nanticoke has less expected damage per building than 54% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Nanticoke: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Nanticoke flood? Sometimes: 55 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Nanticoke, from FEMA’s records: 10.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan5 claims · $214K
- Tropical Storm Lee5 claims · $335K
- The Torrential rain1 claim · $2K
Nanticoke isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Luzerne County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Nanticoke
Disasters that paid out in Nanticoke itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Nanticoke), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee173 households applied for aid$647K aid approved5 flood claims paid for it, $335K
- 2011Hurricane Irene9 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides63 households applied for aid$117K aid approved10 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding21 households applied for aid$9K aid approved5 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan75 households applied for aid$110K aid approved5 flood claims paid for it, $214K
Luzerne County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Nanticoke after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Nanticoke archive →Nanticoke and its neighbors
Nanticoke has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanticoke | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Hanover Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 90 |
| Newport Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Plymouth Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 353 |
| Sheatown | — | 614 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| West Nanticoke | — | 632 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Nanticoke 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 Nanticoke
Is Nanticoke at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nanticoke has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #474 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Nanticoke flood?
Flood insurance has paid 55 claims in Nanticoke since 1979, $955K in all, or 10.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (5).
Is Nanticoke 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 Luzerne County, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Nanticoke?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Nanticoke’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 Nanticoke?
By FEMA money that reached Nanticoke, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 173 households applied for aid, $647K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 5 paid, $214K.
Is Nanticoke at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Nanticoke’s rate for it is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Nanticoke.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Nanticoke’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.