Natural hazards · Ransom

Ransom, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ransom comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1983.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Ransom?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ransom to be higher than in 47% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding81%Cold waves7%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Ransom faces

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

Inland flooding

81% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 Ransom flood?

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

9paid claims since 1983

$154Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19832026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Gloria: 3 claims, $14K
Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $11K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Lackawanna County.

Disasters that hit Ransom

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into RansomDeclared for Lackawanna County only

Lackawanna County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Ransom

Ransom and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Duryeamostly inland floodingVery high

Exetermostly inland floodingHigh

Scrantonmostly inland floodingModerate

Old Forgemostly inland floodingModerate

Ransommostly inland floodingModerate

Newtonmostly 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. Ransom covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ransom’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Ransom. 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 Ransom total about $1.7M 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.