322 flood insurance claims·$8.3M paid·3 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Elk County, Pennsylvania. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
10% of Elk County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
289 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 12 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2014, with 79 claims and $4.1M paid.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
1 NOAA storm reports from Elk County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 9, 2024 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Tropical Depression Ivan | Sep 17, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Frances | Sep 8, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 19, 1996 |
| Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm | Mar 13, 1993 |
| Tropical Storm Agnes | Jun 23, 1972 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
14 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 21, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Jan 25, 2010 | — |
| Flood | Dec 1, 2010 | $200,000 |
| Flood | Sep 18, 2004 | — |
| Flood | Sep 17, 2004 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2004 | — |
| Flood | Sep 9, 2004 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 1998 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 21, 2014. A nocturnal convective complex brought training thunderstorms to north-central Pennsylvania during the early morning hours. A localized 3-5 inches of rain fell over a 8-10 hour period which resulted in significant flash flooding in Elk and northern Clearfield Counties. Flash flooding, to a lesser extent, also occurred in adjacent Warren and Cameron Counties.
Flood · Jan 25, 2010. Heavy rainfall between 1 and 4 inches produced widespread areal flooding across all of central Pennsylvania. Cold season hydrologic conditions, including snow and ice melt contributed to enhanced run-off especially across the higher elevations and northern mountains. Many small streams and creeks came out of their banks, resulting in numerous secondary road closures.
Flood · Dec 1, 2010. Widespread heavy rainfall of 2 to 4 inches produced extensive flooding across Central Pennsylvania for the first three days of December 2010. The heavy rain fell in two distinct periods with the first round of 1-2 inches falling by the evening of November 30th. The second period of heavy rain fell overnight into the afternoon on December 1st. The initial rainfall on the 30th resulted in antecedent conditions that…
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2004. Heavy rain caused flooding in Elk County, especially in the Johnsonburg and St. Mary's area. Numerous roads were flooded and closed, and many reports of flooded basements were received.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Elk County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.