Natural hazards · Lorain

Lorain, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lorain comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lorain?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lorain to be higher than in 20% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding76%Cold waves7%Tornadoes5%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Lorain faces

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

Inland flooding

76% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 46% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce 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 Lorain flood?

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

3paid claims since 1978

$23Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Cambria County.

Disasters that hit Lorain

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into LorainDeclared for Cambria County only

Cambria County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.

Around Lorain

Lorain and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Johnstownmostly inland floodingModerate

Lorainmostly inland floodingLow

Stonycreekmostly inland floodingLow

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. Lorain covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lorain’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Borough of Lorain. 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 Lorain total about $709K 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.