Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Newton 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, Newton Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #764 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2006.
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 Newton 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 Newton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Newton Township, and Newton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #764 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Newton 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, Newton Township has more expected damage per building than 74% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Newton Township: $959K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Newton Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Newton Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Newton 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: Lackawanna County.The storms Newton Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Lackawanna County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Newton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20233 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Lackawanna County
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Lackawanna County
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.
Old photos of Newton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Newton Township archive →Newton Township and its neighbors
Newton Township is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Abington Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Ransom Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Newton Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Glenburn Township | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Exeter Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| West Abington Township | — | 290 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 Newton 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 Newton Township
Is Newton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newton Township has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #764 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. 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 Newton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Newton Township since 2006, $50K in all, or 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Newton 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 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 Newton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Newton Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Newton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Newton Township’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Newton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Newton 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.