St. Stanislaus Institute · Photo: Smallbones · CC0On FEMA’s figures, Newport Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newport Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #752 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 3 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 Newport Township 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 Newport Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Newport Township, and Newport Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #752 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Newport Township’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, Newport Township has more expected damage per building than 72% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Newport Township: $850K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Newport Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Newport Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Newport Township 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.The storms Newport Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Newport Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20062 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Luzerne County
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Newport Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Newport Township archive →Newport Township and its neighbors
Newport Township is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanticoke | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Slocum Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hanover Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 90 |
| Newport Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Hunlock Township | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 77 |
| Union Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Sheatown | — | 614 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Glen Lyon | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Newport Township 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 Newport Township
Is Newport Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newport Township has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #752 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Newport Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Newport Township since 1979, $39K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Newport Township 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 Newport Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Newport Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Newport Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Newport Township’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Newport Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Newport Township’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.