Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Towamensing Township faces less hazard damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Towamensing Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #391 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Towamensing 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
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 Towamensing Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Towamensing Township, and Towamensing Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 7% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #391 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Towamensing Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Towamensing Township has less expected damage per building than 62% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Towamensing Township: $656K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Towamensing Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Towamensing Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Towamensing 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: Carbon County.The storms Towamensing Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Carbon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Towamensing Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Carbon County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Towamensing Township and its neighbors
Towamensing Township is 2nd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Forest Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Towamensing Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Eldred Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Franklin Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Lower Towamensing Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Towamensing 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.
- 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 Towamensing Township
Is Towamensing Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Towamensing Township has lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #391 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (7%). 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.
Is Towamensing 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 Carbon County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Towamensing Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Towamensing Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Towamensing Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Towamensing Township’s rate for it is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Towamensing Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Towamensing 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.