More hazard damage per building is expected in Plains Township than in 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Plains Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #848 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 198 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 stands out about Plains Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Plains 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 Plains Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Plains Township, and Plains Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #848 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Plains 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, Plains Township has more expected damage per building than 82% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.4M a year in losses across Plains Township: $2.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Plains Township flood? Yes: 198 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Plains Township, from FEMA’s records: 40.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee46 claims · $4.8M
- Tropical Storm Ivan27 claims · $1.1M
Plains 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Plains Township
Disasters that paid out in Plains Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Plains Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee58 households applied for aid$319K aid approved46 flood claims paid for it, $4.8M
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides18 households applied for aid$8K aid approved23 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$975 aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan15 households applied for aid$37K aid approved27 flood claims paid for it, $1.1M
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 Plains Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Plains Township archive →Plains Township and its neighbors
Plains Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Wyoming | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Jenkins Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 170 |
| Forty Fort | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Plains Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 198 |
| Kingston | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 108 |
| Wilkes-Barre | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 523 |
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 Plains 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 Plains Township
Is Plains Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Plains Township has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #848 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Plains Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 198 claims in Plains Township since 1978, $7.6M in all, or 40.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 27 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (46).
Is Plains 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 Plains Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Plains 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 Plains Township?
By FEMA money that reached Plains Township, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 58 households applied for aid, $319K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 46 paid, $4.8M.
Is Plains Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Plains Township’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Plains Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Plains 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.