Natural hazards · Dorrance

Dorrance, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Dorrance comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1993.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Dorrance?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Dorrance to be higher than in 39% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding72%Cold waves10%Everything else18%

By hazard

What Dorrance faces

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

Inland flooding

72% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

10% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce 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 Dorrance flood?

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

1paid claims since 1993

$14Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19932026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Dorrance 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 Dorrance

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into DorranceDeclared for Luzerne County only

Luzerne County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Dorrance

Dorrance and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Hollenbackmostly inland floodingHigh

Conynghammostly inland floodingHigh

Ricemostly inland floodingModerate

Dorrancemostly inland floodingLow

Slocummostly inland floodingLow

Butlermostly inland floodingLow

Wrightmostly 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. Dorrance covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Dorrance’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Dorrance. 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 Dorrance total about $1.0M 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.