Less hazard damage per building is expected in Penn Forest Township than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Penn Forest Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #102 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2004.
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 Penn Forest 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
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
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 Penn Forest Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Penn Forest Township, and Penn Forest Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #102 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Penn Forest Township’s residents live in 3 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, Penn Forest Township has less expected damage per building than 90% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Penn Forest Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Penn Forest Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Penn Forest Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Penn Forest 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: Carbon County.The storms Penn Forest Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Carbon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Penn Forest Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Carbon County
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Carbon County
Carbon County has had 15 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 Penn Forest Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Penn Forest Township archive →Penn Forest Township and its neighbors
Penn Forest Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 7 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Forest Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Kidder Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Tunkhannock Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 129 |
| Polk Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Jim Thorpe | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Towamensing Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Franklin Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Lehigh Township | — | 330 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Towamensing Trails | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Indian Mountain Lake | — | 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 Penn Forest 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Penn Forest Township
Is Penn Forest Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Penn Forest Township has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #102 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hurricanes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Penn Forest Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Penn Forest Township since 2004, $21K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Penn Forest 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 Carbon County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Penn Forest Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Penn Forest Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Penn Forest Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Penn Forest Township’s rate for it is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Penn Forest Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Penn Forest 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.