Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Point Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Point Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #867 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 200 claims here since 1979.
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 Point Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Point 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 Point Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Point Township, and Point Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #867 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Point 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, Point Township has more expected damage per building than 84% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Point Township: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Point Township flood? Yes: 200 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Point Township, from FEMA’s records: 107.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee32 claims · $1.5M
- Tropical Storm Ivan30 claims · $697K
- The Torrential rain2 claims · $4K
Point 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: Northumberland County.The storms Point Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Northumberland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Point Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201147 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Northumberland County
- 200430 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Northumberland County
- 199628 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Northumberland County
Northumberland County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Point Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Point Township archive →Point Township and its neighbors
Point Township is 5th of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahoning Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Monroe Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 208 |
| Liberty Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Upper Augusta Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 106 |
| Point Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 200 |
| East Buffalo Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
| Union Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rush Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Riverside | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Winfield | — | 909 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 Point 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 Point Township
Is Point Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Point Township has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #867 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 Point Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 200 claims in Point Township since 1979, $3.8M in all, or 107.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 35 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (32).
Is Point 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 Northumberland County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Point Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Point 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 Point Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 32 paid, $1.5M.
Is Point Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Point Township’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Point Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Point 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.