Natural hazards · Main

Main, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Main comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1985.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Main?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Main to be higher than in 82% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding86%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Main faces

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

Inland flooding

86% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat 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 Main flood?

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

14paid claims since 1985

$263Kpaid to owners

3homes flooded more than once

19852026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Lee: 2 claims, $41K
Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 claim, $2K

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. Main isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Columbia County.

Disasters that hit Main

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into MainDeclared for Columbia County only

Columbia County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Main

Main and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Mainmostly inland floodingVery high

Catawissamostly inland floodingVery high

Almediamostly inland floodingHigh

Espymostly inland floodingHigh

Mifflinmostly inland floodingHigh

South Centremostly inland floodingHigh

Roaring Creekmostly inland floodingModerate

Beavermostly inland floodingModerate

Scottmostly 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. Main 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 Main’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Main. 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.