Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Shickshinny
Shickshinny isn’t graded for hazard risk: Shickshinny has 638 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 401 claims here since 1978.
What Shickshinny 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.
Does Shickshinny flood? Yes: 401 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shickshinny, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Lee84 claims · $5.9M
- Tropical Storm Ivan60 claims · $1.3M
- The Torrential rain9 claims · $36K
Shickshinny isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Luzerne County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Shickshinny
Disasters that paid out in Shickshinny itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Shickshinny), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee305 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved84 flood claims paid for it, $5.9M
- 2011Hurricane Irene13 households applied for aid$52K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides124 households applied for aid$102K aid approved62 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding26 households applied for aid$7K aid approved23 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan85 households applied for aid$123K aid approved60 flood claims paid for it, $1.3M
Luzerne County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Shickshinny after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shickshinny archive →Shickshinny and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Union Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
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 Shickshinny 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 Shickshinny
Does Shickshinny flood?
Flood insurance has paid 401 claims in Shickshinny since 1978, $9.4M in all. 44 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (84).
Is Shickshinny 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 Luzerne County, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Shickshinny?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shickshinny’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 Shickshinny?
By FEMA money that reached Shickshinny, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 305 households applied for aid, $1.3M approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 84 paid, $5.9M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shickshinny.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shickshinny’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.