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Tobyhanna, PAPhoto: Asdfghjkl929 · Public domain
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Tobyhanna Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Tobyhanna Township faces less hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tobyhanna Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #235 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2004.

River and rain flooding 82%Hurricanes 9%Tornadoes 4%

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

less than 90%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#235 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
A#235 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 90% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 2004 · $36K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
5
of 15 declared for Monroe County
By hazard

What Tobyhanna Township 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

82%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hail Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 17% of Tobyhanna Township’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Tobyhanna Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tobyhanna Township, and Tobyhanna Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Tobyhanna Township sits
Tobyhanna Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #235 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Tobyhanna Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Hurricanes9%Tornadoes4%Everything else5%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Tobyhanna Township has less expected damage per building than 77% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.4M a year in losses across Tobyhanna Township: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Tobyhanna Township covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Tobyhanna Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tobyhanna Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420062010
20042026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ida1 claim · $7K
  • Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $2K
5
paid claims since 2004
$36K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Tobyhanna Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Monroe County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tobyhanna Township

Disasters that paid out in Tobyhanna Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Tobyhanna Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2011Tropical Storm Lee6 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene34 households applied for aid$38K aid approved
  3. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides26 households applied for aid$72K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding47 households applied for aid$58K aid approved
  5. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan31 households applied for aid$150K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Tobyhanna TownshipMonroe County only

Monroe 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Tobyhanna Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Tobyhanna Township archive →
Next door

Tobyhanna Township and its neighbors

Tobyhanna Township is 4th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Kidder Township: hazard risk ABuck Township: not gradedThornhurst Township: hazard risk B+Pocono Township: hazard risk A−Coolbaugh Township: hazard risk A+Tunkhannock Township: hazard risk AKidder TownshipBuck TownshipThornhurst TownshipPocono TownshipCoolbaugh TownshipTunkhannock TownshipTobyhanna Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Coolbaugh TownshipA+less damage than 97%river and rain flooding17
Kidder TownshipAless damage than 92%river and rain flooding5
Tunkhannock TownshipAless damage than 92%river and rain flooding129
Tobyhanna TownshipAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding5
Pocono TownshipA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding14
Thornhurst TownshipB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding—
Buck Township—269 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Tobyhanna Township faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Tobyhanna Township

Is Tobyhanna Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tobyhanna Township has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #235 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Tobyhanna Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Tobyhanna Township since 2004, $36K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (1).

Is Tobyhanna Township 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 Monroe County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Tobyhanna Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tobyhanna Township’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 Tobyhanna Township?

By FEMA money that reached Tobyhanna Township, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 31 households applied for aid, $150K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 1 paid, $7K.

Is Tobyhanna Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Tobyhanna Township’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tobyhanna Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tobyhanna Township’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.