Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Shamokin faces more hazard damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shamokin gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #1,030 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 65 claims here since 1978.
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 Shamokin’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Shamokin 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 Shamokin’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shamokin, and Shamokin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D #1,030 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Shamokin’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Shamokin has more expected damage per building than 99% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.9M a year in losses across Shamokin: $5.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shamokin flood? Sometimes: 65 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shamokin, from FEMA’s records: 14.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee32 claims · $437K
- Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $12K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $9K
Shamokin 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.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Shamokin
Disasters that paid out in Shamokin itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Shamokin), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee613 households applied for aid$1.4M aid approved32 flood claims paid for it, $437K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides81 households applied for aid$98K aid approved10 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan25 households applied for aid$33K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $12K
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 Shamokin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shamokin archive →Shamokin and its neighbors
Shamokin has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shamokin | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 65 |
| Fairview-Ferndale | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Marshallton | — | 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 Shamokin 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 Shamokin
Is Shamokin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shamokin has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,030 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Shamokin flood?
Flood insurance has paid 65 claims in Shamokin since 1978, $550K in all, or 14.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 7 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (32).
Is Shamokin 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 Shamokin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shamokin’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?
By FEMA money that reached Shamokin, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 613 households applied for aid, $1.4M approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 32 paid, $437K.
Is Shamokin at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Shamokin’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shamokin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shamokin’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.