Photo: Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Upper Fairfield Township than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Fairfield Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 81 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 Upper Fairfield 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 Upper Fairfield Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Upper Fairfield Township, and Upper Fairfield Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Upper Fairfield Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $570K a year in losses across Upper Fairfield Township: $475K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Upper Fairfield Township flood? Sometimes: 81 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Upper Fairfield Township, from FEMA’s records: 103.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee21 claims · $1.4M
- Tropical Storm Ivan16 claims · $521K
Upper Fairfield 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: Lycoming County.The storms Upper Fairfield Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Lycoming County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Upper Fairfield Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199623 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Lycoming County
- 201122 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Lycoming County
- 200416 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Lycoming County
Lycoming County has had 17 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.
Old photos of Upper Fairfield Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Upper Fairfield Township archive →Upper Fairfield Township and its neighbors
Upper Fairfield Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| Loyalsock Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 263 |
| Eldred Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Upper Fairfield Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 81 |
| Muncy Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Mill Creek Township | — | 460 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Plunketts Creek Township | — | 623 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 Upper Fairfield 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 Upper Fairfield Township
Is Upper Fairfield Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Fairfield Township has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Upper Fairfield Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 81 claims in Upper Fairfield Township since 1978, $2.6M in all, or 103.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 17 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (21).
Is Upper Fairfield 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 Lycoming County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Upper Fairfield Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Upper Fairfield 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 Upper Fairfield Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 21 paid, $1.4M.
Is Upper Fairfield Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Upper Fairfield Township’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Upper Fairfield Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Upper Fairfield 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.