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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pottsville · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Pottsville as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pottsville gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #779 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2006.

River and rain flooding 89%Hurricanes 5%Tornadoes 2%

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

more than 52%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#779 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
B−#779 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · higher than 52% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2006 · $969K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 20 declared for Schuylkill County
By hazard

What Pottsville 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

89%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Hail Ice storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Pottsville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pottsville, and Pottsville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 5% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Pottsville sits
Pottsville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #779 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Pottsville’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Hurricanes5%Everything else6%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pottsville has more expected damage per building than 75% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.0M a year in losses across Pottsville: $3.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Pottsville covers 5 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Pottsville flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2006

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pottsville, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20062018
20062026
4
paid claims since 2006
$969K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$242K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Pottsville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Schuylkill County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pottsville

Disasters that paid out in Pottsville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Pottsville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2011Tropical Storm Lee27 households applied for aid$35K aid approved
  2. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides108 households applied for aid$169K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan24 households applied for aid$80K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PottsvilleSchuylkill County only

Schuylkill County has had 20 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Pottsville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Pottsville archive →
Next door

Pottsville and its neighbors

Pottsville is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Branch Township: hazard risk A−North Manheim Township: hazard risk BNorwegian Township: hazard risk A−Palo Alto: not gradedMechanicsville: not gradedMount Carbon: not gradedBranch TownshipNorth Manheim TownshipNorwegian TownshipPalo AltoMechanicsvilleMount CarbonPottsville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Branch TownshipA−less damage than 81%river and rain flooding2
Norwegian TownshipA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding—
North Manheim TownshipBless damage than 65%river and rain flooding9
PottsvilleB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding4
Palo Alto—960 residents; we grade 1,000+
Mechanicsville—448 residents; we grade 1,000+
Mount Carbon—69 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Pottsville faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Pottsville

Is Pottsville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pottsville has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #779 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and hurricanes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Pottsville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Pottsville since 2006, $969K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Pottsville 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 Schuylkill County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pottsville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pottsville’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 Pottsville?

By FEMA money that reached Pottsville, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 108 households applied for aid, $169K approved.

Is Pottsville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Pottsville’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pottsville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pottsville’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.