Natural hazards · Palmyra

Palmyra, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Palmyra comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2004.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Palmyra?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Palmyra to be higher than in 15% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding74%Cold waves11%Hurricanes6%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Palmyra faces

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

Inland flooding

74% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 36% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 24 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Palmyra flood?

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

5paid claims since 2004

$21Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

20042026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 claim, $2K
Hurricane Irene: 1 claim, $4K

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

Insurance rates: Pike County.

Disasters that hit Palmyra

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into PalmyraDeclared for Pike County only

Pike County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Palmyra

Palmyra and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Palmyramostly inland floodingModerate

Hawleymostly inland floodingModerate

Greenemostly inland floodingLow

Lackawaxenmostly inland floodingLow

Palmyramostly inland floodingVery low

Paupackmostly inland floodingVery low

Blooming Grovemostly inland floodingVery low

Salemmostly 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. Palmyra covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Palmyra’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Palmyra. 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 Palmyra total about $1.5M 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.