Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Riverside than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Riverside gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 25 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 Riverside 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 Riverside’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Riverside, and Riverside’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Riverside’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Riverside: $906K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Riverside flood? Sometimes: 25 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Riverside, from FEMA’s records: 31.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee6 claims · $161K
- Tropical Storm Ivan3 claims · $27K
Riverside 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Riverside
Disasters that paid out in Riverside itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Riverside), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee17 households applied for aid$42K aid approved6 flood claims paid for it, $161K
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $27K
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 Riverside after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Riverside archive →Riverside and its neighbors
Riverside is 4th of the 4 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 |
| Point Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 200 |
| Rush Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Riverside | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
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 Riverside 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 Riverside
Is Riverside at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Riverside has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Riverside flood?
Flood insurance has paid 25 claims in Riverside since 1979, $308K in all, or 31.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (6).
Is Riverside 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 Riverside?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Riverside’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 Riverside?
By FEMA money that reached Riverside, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 17 households applied for aid, $42K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 6 paid, $161K.
Is Riverside at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Riverside’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Riverside.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Riverside’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.