Natural hazards · Howe

Howe, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Howe comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1984.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Howe?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Howe to be higher than in 65% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and lightning.

Inland flooding66%Lightning24%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Howe faces

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

Inland flooding

66% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lightning

24% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 42% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windAvalanches

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 Howe flood?

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

13paid claims since 1984

$86Kpaid to owners

3homes flooded more than once

19842026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 2 claims, $18K
Tropical Storm Lee: 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. Howe isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Forest County.

Disasters that hit Howe

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into HoweDeclared for Forest County only

Forest County has had 9 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Howe

Howe and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Sheffieldmostly inland floodingVery high

Cherry Grovemostly inland floodingVery high

Kingsleymostly inland floodingHigh

Howemostly inland floodingHigh

Jenksmostly inland floodingHigh

Highlandmostly inland floodingHigh

Wetmoremostly 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. Howe is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Howe’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Howe. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.