Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Pine Creek Township than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Creek Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #951 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 77 claims here since 1978.
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 Pine Creek 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 Pine Creek Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pine Creek Township, and Pine Creek Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #951 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pine Creek 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, Pine Creek Township has more expected damage per building than 92% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Pine Creek Township: $874K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pine Creek Township flood? Sometimes: 77 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pine Creek Township, from FEMA’s records: 54.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan41 claims · $773K
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $3K
Pine Creek 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: Clinton County.The storms Pine Creek Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Clinton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pine Creek Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200441 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Clinton County
- 199616 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Clinton County
- 198411 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Clinton County has had 12 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 Pine Creek Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pine Creek Township archive →Pine Creek Township and its neighbors
Pine Creek Township is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Porter Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pine Creek Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 77 |
| Watson Township | — | 560 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Dunnstable Township | — | not graded yet | |
| McElhattan | — | 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 Pine Creek 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 Pine Creek Township
Is Pine Creek Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Creek Township has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #951 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Pine Creek Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 77 claims in Pine Creek Township since 1978, $981K in all, or 54.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (41).
Is Pine Creek 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 Clinton County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pine Creek Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pine Creek Township’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 Pine Creek Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 41 paid, $773K.
Is Pine Creek Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Pine Creek Township’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pine Creek Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pine Creek 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.