Pittston’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Pittston comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 57 claims here since 1979. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Pittston’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Pittston flood? Sometimes: 57 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pittston, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Ivan8 claims · $518K
- Tropical Storm Lee8 claims · $1.8M
Pittston 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pittston
Disasters that paid out in Pittston itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Pittston) and its biggest flood years.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee141 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved8 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Hurricane Irene5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides44 households applied for aid$53K aid approved6 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan67 households applied for aid$112K aid approved8 flood claims paid that year
- 199617 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
Luzerne County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.
Old photos of Pittston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pittston archive →How exposed is Pittston?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 77% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 2,349 of the 2,558 Pennsylvania towns we cover.
Pittston covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
What Pittston faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Cold waves
Get ready for what Pittston 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.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- 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.
Pittston and its neighbors
Pittston ranks 4th calmest of 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duryea | Very high | inland flooding | 31 |
| Pittston | High | inland flooding | 57 |
| Exeter | High | inland flooding | 63 |
| West Pittston | High | inland flooding | 438 |
| Jenkins | Moderate | inland flooding | 170 |
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 Luzerne County’s 19 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 Pittston’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Pittston.
- 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 Pittston, expected losses total about $2.6M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pittston.
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.