Natural hazards · Lake

Lake, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lake comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lake?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lake to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding65%Cold waves15%Everything else20%

By hazard

What Lake faces

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

Inland flooding

65% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

15% 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 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 Lake flood?

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

7paid claims since 1979

$27Kpaid to owners

2homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Lee: 1 claim, $2K
Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 claim, $5K

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. Lake 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 Lake

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into LakeDeclared for Luzerne County only

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

Around Lake

Lake and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Harveys Lakemostly inland floodingLow

Lakemostly inland floodingVery low

Rossmostly inland floodingVery low

Lehmanmostly 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. Lake covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lake’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Lake. 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 Lake total about $368K 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.