Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Union Township than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1979.
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 Union 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
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 Union Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Union Township, and Union Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Union Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $908K a year in losses across Union Township: $762K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Union Township flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Union Township, from FEMA’s records: 12.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee9 claims · $529K
Union 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: Luzerne County.The storms Union Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Union Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20119 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Luzerne County
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Luzerne County
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 Union Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Union Township archive →Union Township and its neighbors
Union Township is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newport Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Huntington Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Salem Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Conyngham Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 93 |
| Hunlock Township | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 77 |
| Union Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Shickshinny | — | 638 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Glen Lyon | — | 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 Union 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.
- 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 Union Township
Is Union Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Township has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Union Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Union Township since 1979, $534K in all, or 12.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (9).
Is Union 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 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 Union Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Union 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 Union Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 9 paid, $529K.
Is Union Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Union Township’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Union Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Union 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.