Natural hazards · Rice

Rice, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Rice comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1996.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Rice?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding73%Cold waves10%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Rice faces

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

Inland flooding

73% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

10% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce 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 Rice flood?

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

2paid claims since 1996

$8Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19962026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 claim, $5K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Rice 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.

Disasters that hit Rice

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into RiceDeclared for Luzerne County only

Luzerne County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Rice

Rice and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Ricemostly inland floodingModerate

Nuangolamostly inland floodingLow

Dorrancemostly inland floodingLow

Fairviewmostly inland floodingLow

Wrightmostly 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. Rice covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Rice’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Rice. 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 Rice total about $996K 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.