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Newport, PennsylvaniaPhoto: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Newport · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Newport faces more hazard damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newport gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 39 claims here since 1984.

River and rain flooding 92%Hurricanes 5%Tornadoes 2%

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 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Pennsylvania · higher than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
39
paid since 1984 · $266K
Flooded more than once
7
properties
Disasters paid out here
2
of 16 declared for Perry County
By hazard

What Newport 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

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Hail Wildfire Ice storms 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 Newport’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Newport, and Newport’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Newport sits
Newport
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Hurricanes5%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $613K a year in losses across Newport: $439K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Newport’s 1,485 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Oliver township (2,043 residents) and Juniata township (1,537 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Newport flood? Sometimes: 39 flood claims since 1984

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Newport, from FEMA’s records: 60.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1984: 6 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 20 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 11 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198419962004
19842026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan11 claims · $101K
39
paid claims since 1984
$266K
paid to owners
7
homes flooded more than once
$7K
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

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

Insurance rates: Perry County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Newport

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

  1. 2011Tropical Storm Lee16 households applied for aid$35K aid approved
  2. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan37 households applied for aid$130K aid approved11 flood claims paid for it, $101K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NewportPerry County only

Perry County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Newport archive →
Next door

Newport and its neighbors

Newport is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Oliver Township: hazard risk CHowe Township: not gradedOliver TownshipHowe TownshipNewport
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Oliver TownshipCmore damage than 74%river and rain flooding—
NewportCmore damage than 74%river and rain flooding39
Howe Township—345 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Newport 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 Newport

Is Newport at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newport has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 flood?

Flood insurance has paid 39 claims in Newport since 1984, $266K in all, or 60.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 7 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (11).

Is Newport 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 Perry County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Newport?

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

By FEMA money that reached Newport, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 37 households applied for aid, $130K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 11 paid, $101K.

Is Newport at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Newport’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Newport.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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