Loyalsock’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Loyalsock comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 263 claims here since 1978. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Loyalsock’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Loyalsock flood? Yes: 263 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Loyalsock, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Lee46 claims · $1.5M
- Tropical Storm Ivan30 claims · $587K
- Hurricane Debby5 claims · $72K
Loyalsock isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lycoming County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Loyalsock
Disasters that paid out in Loyalsock itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Township of Loyalsock) and its biggest flood years.
- 2024Tropical Storm Debby$28K to the Township of Loyalsock for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
- 2018Severe Storms and Flooding$121K to the Township of Loyalsock for repairs
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding$349K to the Township of Loyalsock for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee$193K to the Township of Loyalsock for repairs49 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$99K to the Township of Loyalsock for repairs31 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Snow$9K to the Township of Loyalsock for repairs
Show all 8
- 199658 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 198434 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Lycoming County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Old photos of Loyalsock after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Loyalsock archive →How exposed is Loyalsock?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 38% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,324 of the 2,558 Pennsylvania towns we cover.
Loyalsock covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
What Loyalsock faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Strong wind
Get ready for what Loyalsock actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Loyalsock and its neighbors
Loyalsock ranks 3rd calmest of 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montoursville | Very high | inland flooding | 128 |
| Old Lycoming | High | inland flooding | 552 |
| Armstrong | High | inland flooding | 36 |
| Upper Fairfield | Moderate | inland flooding | 81 |
| Eldred | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
| Loyalsock | Low | inland flooding | 263 |
| Williamsport | Low | inland flooding | 98 |
| Fairfield | Very low | inland flooding | 57 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in August–October
The month each of Lycoming County’s 18 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Loyalsock’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Loyalsock.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Loyalsock, expected losses total about $3.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Loyalsock.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.