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Natural hazards · Bear Creek

Bear Creek, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bear Creek comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1996.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations
Expected damage

How exposed is Bear Creek?

21
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bear Creek to be higher than in 21% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding64%Cold waves12%Tornadoes5%Hurricanes5%Everything else14%
By hazard

What Bear Creek faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

64% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 42% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

12% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 44% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 27 years in the area

Hurricanes

5% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 20 years in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

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

Does Bear Creek flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bear Creek, from FEMA’s records.

4paid claims since 1996
$232Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19962026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Irene: 1 claim, $7K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Bear Creek 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.
Disasters that hit Bear Creek

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Luzerne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bear Creek itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Bear CreekDeclared for Luzerne County only
Luzerne County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.
Around Bear Creek

Bear Creek and the towns around it

Kidder: Very low, mostly inland floodingPenn Lake Park: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBuck: Low, mostly inland floodingDennison: Moderate, mostly inland floodingJenkins: Moderate, mostly inland floodingThornhurst: Low, mostly inland floodingFairview: Low, mostly inland floodingPlains: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLaurel Run: Low, mostly inland floodingHanover: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPenn Forest: Very low, mostly inland floodingTobyhanna: Very low, mostly inland floodingTunkhannock: Very low, mostly inland floodingFoster: Very low, mostly inland floodingLehigh: Low, mostly inland floodingEast Side: Very low, mostly inland floodingWhite Haven: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWright: Very low, mostly inland floodingButler: Low, mostly inland floodingLaflin: Very low, mostly inland floodingYatesville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPittston: Low, mostly inland floodingSpring Brook: Low, mostly inland floodingPittston: High, mostly inland floodingWyoming: Moderate, mostly inland floodingExeter: High, mostly inland floodingCoolbaugh: Very low, mostly inland floodingClifton: Low, mostly inland floodingRice: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWilkes-Barre: High, mostly inland floodingForty Fort: Moderate, mostly inland floodingKingston: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWilkes-Barre: Very low, mostly inland floodingPlymouth: Very high, mostly inland floodingPlymouth: High, mostly inland floodingNanticoke: Low, mostly inland floodingLarksville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNuangola: Low, mostly inland floodingNewport: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBear Creek: Low, mostly inland flooding Bear CreekKidderPenn Lake ParkBuckDennisonJenkinsThornhurstFairviewPlainsLaurel RunHanover
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Plainsmostly inland floodingModerate
Jenkinsmostly inland floodingModerate
Penn Lake Parkmostly inland floodingModerate
Dennisonmostly inland floodingModerate
Hanovermostly inland floodingModerate
Thornhurstmostly inland floodingLow
Bear Creekmostly inland floodingLow
Buckmostly inland floodingLow
Fairviewmostly inland floodingLow
Laurel Runmostly inland floodingLow
Kiddermostly inland floodingVery low
About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Bear Creek covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bear Creek’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Bear Creek. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Bear Creek total about $895K a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Bear Creek, PALuzerne CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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