Natural hazards · Zerbe

Zerbe, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Zerbe comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1996.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Zerbe?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Zerbe to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding79%Hurricanes5%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Zerbe faces

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

Inland flooding

79% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% 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 Zerbe flood?

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

4paid claims since 1996

$14Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19962026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Lee: 1 claim, $9K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Zerbe 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 Zerbe

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ZerbeDeclared for Northumberland County only

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

Around Zerbe

Zerbe and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Zerbemostly inland floodingHigh

West Cameronmostly inland floodingHigh

Little Mahanoymostly inland floodingHigh

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