Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in West Wyoming than in 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Wyoming gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #653 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 13 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 West Wyoming 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 West Wyoming’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in West Wyoming, and West Wyoming’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
B #653 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of West Wyoming’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, West Wyoming has more expected damage per building than 63% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $760K a year in losses across West Wyoming: $566K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does West Wyoming flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in West Wyoming, from FEMA’s records: 9.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee4 claims · $273K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $12K
West Wyoming 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to West Wyoming
Disasters that paid out in West Wyoming itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of West Wyoming), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee4 households applied for aid$6K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $273K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides37 households applied for aid$84K aid approved3 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$901 aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan3 households applied for aid$8K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $12K
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 West Wyoming after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the West Wyoming archive →West Wyoming and its neighbors
West Wyoming is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| West Wyoming | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Swoyersville | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Wyoming | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
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 West Wyoming 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 West Wyoming
Is West Wyoming at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Wyoming has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #653 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 West Wyoming flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in West Wyoming since 1978, $325K in all, or 9.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (4).
Is West Wyoming 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 West Wyoming?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for West Wyoming’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 West Wyoming?
By FEMA money that reached West Wyoming, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 37 households applied for aid, $84K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 4 paid, $273K.
Is West Wyoming at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and West Wyoming’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Wyoming.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where West Wyoming’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.