Natural hazards · Polk

Polk, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Polk comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Polk?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Polk to be higher than in 19% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding58%Cold waves20%Hurricanes6%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Polk faces

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

Inland flooding

58% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

20% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 19 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 Polk flood?

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

7paid claims since 1978

$33Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $9K
Tropical Storm Henri: 1 claim, $16K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Monroe County.

Disasters that hit Polk

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into PolkDeclared for Monroe County only

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

Around Polk

Polk and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Eldredmostly inland floodingModerate

Chestnuthillmostly inland floodingLow

Polkmostly inland floodingVery low

Tunkhannockmostly inland floodingVery low

Penn Forestmostly 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. Polk covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Polk’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Polk. 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 Polk total about $2.6M 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.