Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Shamokin Dam as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shamokin Dam gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 38 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 Shamokin Dam 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
Hurricanes
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 Shamokin Dam’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shamokin Dam, and Shamokin Dam’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 5% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).
B− higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Shamokin Dam’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $746K a year in losses across Shamokin Dam: $655K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shamokin Dam flood? Sometimes: 38 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shamokin Dam, from FEMA’s records: 50.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee14 claims · $179K
- Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $54K
Shamokin Dam isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Snyder County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Shamokin Dam
Disasters that paid out in Shamokin Dam itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Shamokin Dam), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee32 households applied for aid$53K aid approved14 flood claims paid for it, $179K
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan6 households applied for aid$20K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $54K
Snyder County has had 13 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 Shamokin Dam after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shamokin Dam archive →Shamokin Dam and its neighbors
Shamokin Dam is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 208 |
| Shamokin Dam | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
| Upper Augusta Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 106 |
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 Shamokin Dam 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.
- 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.
- 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 Shamokin Dam
Is Shamokin Dam at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shamokin Dam has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and hurricanes (5%). 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 Shamokin Dam flood?
Flood insurance has paid 38 claims in Shamokin Dam since 1979, $363K in all, or 50.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (14).
Is Shamokin Dam 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 Snyder County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Shamokin Dam?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shamokin Dam’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 Shamokin Dam?
By FEMA money that reached Shamokin Dam, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 32 households applied for aid, $53K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 14 paid, $179K.
Is Shamokin Dam at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Shamokin Dam’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shamokin Dam.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shamokin Dam’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.