Natural hazards · Ralpho

Ralpho, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ralpho comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 47 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Ralpho?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ralpho to be higher than in 44% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding78%Hurricanes7%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Ralpho faces

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

Inland flooding

78% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 16 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce 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 Ralpho flood?

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

47paid claims since 1978

$1.7Mpaid to owners

9homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Lee: 17 claims, $918K
Not a named storm: 1 claim, $2K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Northumberland County.

Disasters that hit Ralpho

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into RalphoDeclared for Northumberland County only

Northumberland County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Ralpho

Ralpho and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Rushmostly inland floodingHigh

Clevelandmostly inland floodingModerate

Franklinmostly inland floodingModerate

Mayberrymostly inland floodingModerate

Coalmostly inland floodingModerate

Ralphomostly inland floodingModerate

Shamokinmostly inland floodingModerate

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