FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Ransom Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ransom Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1983.
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 Ransom 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 Ransom Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ransom Township, and Ransom Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ransom Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $559K a year in losses across Ransom Township: $476K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ransom Township flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ransom Township, from FEMA’s records: 14.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Gloria3 claims · $14K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $11K
Ransom 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: Lackawanna County.The storms Ransom Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Lackawanna County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ransom Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19853 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Gloria, declared for Lackawanna County
- 20232 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lackawanna County has had 18 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 Ransom Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ransom Township archive →Ransom Township and its neighbors
Ransom Township is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Ransom Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Old Forge | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Scranton | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 746 |
| Exeter Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Duryea | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Upper Exeter | — | 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 Ransom 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 Ransom Township
Is Ransom Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ransom Township has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Ransom Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Ransom Township since 1983, $154K in all, or 14.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Gloria (3).
Is Ransom 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 Lackawanna County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ransom Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ransom 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 Ransom Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Gloria: 3 paid, $14K.
Is Ransom Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Ransom Township’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ransom Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ransom 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.