Natural hazards · Harris

Harris, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Harris comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Harris?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Harris to be higher than in 22% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding83%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Harris faces

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

Inland flooding

83% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat 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 Harris flood?

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

5paid claims since 1979

$9Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 2 claims, $3K
Not a named storm: 1 claim, $1K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Harris isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Centre County.

Disasters that hit Harris

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into HarrisDeclared for Centre County only

Centre County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Harris

Harris and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Jacksonmostly inland floodingModerate

Harrismostly inland floodingLow

Pottermostly inland floodingLow

Collegemostly inland floodingVery low

Fergusonmostly inland floodingVery low

Bennermostly 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. Harris covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Harris’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Harris. 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 Harris total about $1.2M 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.