Photo: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Pittston Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pittston Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #599 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 2 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 Pittston 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 Pittston Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pittston Township, and Pittston Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #599 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pittston 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, Pittston Township has more expected damage per building than 58% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Pittston Township: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pittston Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pittston 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.
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $137K
Pittston 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 Pittston Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pittston Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Luzerne County
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Luzerne County
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 Pittston Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pittston Township archive →Pittston Township and its neighbors
Pittston Township is 2nd of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Brook Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pittston Township | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Jenkins Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 170 |
| Dupont | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Avoca | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Hughestown | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Pittston | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| Browntown | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Yatesville | — | 749 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 Pittston 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 Pittston Township
Is Pittston Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pittston Township has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #599 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 Pittston Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Pittston Township since 2006, $151K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (1).
Is Pittston 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 Pittston Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pittston 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 Pittston Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 1 paid, $137K.
Is Pittston Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Pittston Township’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pittston Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pittston 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.