Erie Railroad Station · Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Susquehanna Depot than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Susquehanna Depot gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 7 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 Susquehanna Depot 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 Susquehanna Depot’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Susquehanna Depot, and Susquehanna Depot’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Susquehanna Depot’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $725K a year in losses across Susquehanna Depot: $623K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Susquehanna Depot flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Susquehanna Depot, from FEMA’s records: 11.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $425K
Susquehanna Depot isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Susquehanna County.The storms Susquehanna Depot remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Susquehanna County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Susquehanna Depot itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19782 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Susquehanna County
Susquehanna County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Susquehanna Depot after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Susquehanna Depot archive →Susquehanna Depot and its neighbors
Susquehanna Depot 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susquehanna Depot | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Lanesboro | — | 669 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Oakland | — | 527 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Oakland Township | — | 541 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Susquehanna Depot 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 Susquehanna Depot
Is Susquehanna Depot at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Susquehanna Depot has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Susquehanna Depot flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Susquehanna Depot since 1978, $438K in all, or 11.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Susquehanna Depot 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 Susquehanna County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Susquehanna Depot?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Susquehanna Depot’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 Susquehanna Depot?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $425K.
Is Susquehanna Depot at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Susquehanna Depot’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Susquehanna Depot.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Susquehanna Depot’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.