Natural hazards · Hazle

Hazle, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Hazle comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1985.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Hazle?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Hazle to be higher than in 2% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding54%Cold waves13%Tornadoes8%Hurricanes7%Earthquakes6%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Hazle faces

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

Inland flooding

54% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 8% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

13% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 44% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 29 years in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtTsunamisVolcanic 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 Hazle flood?

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

5paid claims since 1985

$553Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19852026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Lee: 1 claim, $27K

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. Hazle 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 Hazle

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into HazleDeclared for Luzerne County only

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

Around Hazle

Hazle and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Black Creekmostly inland floodingModerate

Butlermostly inland floodingLow

Sugarloafmostly inland floodingLow

Banksmostly inland floodingVery low

Fostermostly inland floodingVery low

Jeddomostly inland floodingVery low

West Hazletonmostly inland floodingVery low

Hazletonmostly inland floodingVery low

Hazlemostly inland floodingVery low

Klinemostly 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. Hazle covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Hazle’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Hazle. 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 Hazle total about $2.2M 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.