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Natural hazard risk in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

Updated October 30, 2026. Based on FEMA, NOAA and OpenFEMA data. Published by Humblebee.

FEMA overall Risk Index rating: Relatively Low (score 79.8 of 100)[5]

Expected annual loss (FEMA)
$43.2 million[1]
Federal disaster declarations since 1972
17[2]
NFIP flood claims paid, 1978 to 2026
$15.9 million[3]
Tornadoes recorded, 1950 to 2024
19[4]

FEMA's National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) gives Lebanon County an overall Risk Index rating of Relatively Low compared with other US counties[5]. FEMA rates winter weather, strong wind and lightning highest among the hazards in this county[6].

FEMA risk ratings for each hazard

Ratings and expected losses from the FEMA National Risk Index. Each rating compares this county with all US counties for that hazard, from Very Low to Very High. They are planning estimates, not predictions, and they do not describe any single property.

FEMA's overall Risk Index score for Lebanon County is 79.8 out of 100[5]. FEMA estimates Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards at $43.2 million a year[1]. This is a FEMA estimate of average yearly loss, not money anyone paid. For the largest shares, FEMA's values show inland flooding at $26.7 million a year, then hurricane at $4.9 million a year, then tornado at $2.6 million a year[7]. FEMA rates social vulnerability Relatively Low[8] and community resilience Very High[9]. FEMA says the index does not predict next year's damage[10].

Hazards sorted by FEMA hazard-type Risk Index score, highest first
HazardFEMA risk ratingExpected annual loss
Winter WeatherRelatively High$482,000[11]
Strong WindRelatively High$1.9 million[12]
LightningRelatively High$1.0 million[13]
HurricaneRelatively Moderate$4.9 million[14]
Inland FloodingRelatively Moderate$26.7 million[15]
EarthquakeRelatively Low$1.8 million[16]
Heat WaveRelatively Low$1.2 million[17]
TornadoRelatively Moderate$2.6 million[18]
DroughtRelatively Moderate$526,000[19]
LandslideRelatively Low$3,570[20]
Cold WaveRelatively Low$1.6 million[21]
Ice StormRelatively Low$117,000[22]
HailRelatively Low$165,000[23]
AvalancheVery Low$100[24]
WildfireVery Low$9,442[25]

Rated Not Applicable by FEMA for this county: coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity[26].

Social vulnerability and community resilience

FEMA uses these two ratings to scale expected losses into the Risk Index.

FEMA measureRatingScore
Social vulnerabilityRelatively Low35.2[8]
Community resilienceVery High83.3[9]

Flooding and flood insurance

FEMA rates inland flooding Relatively Moderate compared with other US counties, with a score of 84.8 out of 100[15]. OpenFEMA lists 221 residential flood insurance contracts in force, as of 2026-08-03[27]. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, 29.3% of homes are insured[27]. OpenFEMA NFIP claims data lists 1,005 claims for losses from 1978 to 2026, and NFIP paid $15.9 million in total[3]. For the flood zone of an address, use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center[28].

Measure Value
Inland Flooding, FEMA risk rating[15] Relatively Moderate, $26.7 million expected loss a year
NFIP residential flood policies in force (2026)[27] 221 of 51,580 homes
Homes in FEMA's mapped high-risk flood area (SFHA)[27] 477, of which 140 insured
NFIP flood claims, 1978 to 2026[3] 1,005 filed, $15.9 million paid

Is a specific address in a flood zone? Only FEMA's flood maps answer that, property by property[28]. This page describes the whole county.

Search an address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Disaster declarations and tornado records

OpenFEMA lists 17 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Lebanon County since 1972[2]. By incident type these are flood 6, severe storm 4, snowstorm 4 and hurricane 3[2]. The most recent is DR-4267-PA, a severe winter storm and snowstorm declared 2016-03-23[29]. NOAA's tornado database records 19 tornadoes touching the county from 1950 to 2024[4].

Federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Lebanon County, since 1972
Incident type Declarations
Flood[2] 6
Severe Storm[2] 4
Snowstorm[2] 4
Hurricane[2] 3
Most recent declarations
Declaration Incident Declared
DR-4267-PA[29] Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm 2016-03-23
EM-3356-PA[29] Hurricane Sandy 2012-10-29
DR-4030-PA[29] Tropical Storm Lee 2011-09-12
EM-3340-PA[29] Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee 2011-09-08
DR-1898-PA[29] Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms 2010-04-16

How to prepare

Steps from Ready.gov, FEMA's preparedness site, for the hazards with the highest FEMA ratings here. Follow instructions from local officials and the National Weather Service when a warning is issued.

Winter storms and cold

Before

  • Insulate your home and learn how to keep pipes from freezing.
  • Install and test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup.
  • Keep several days of supplies in case the power goes out, including medication and pet needs.
  • Put an emergency kit in your car with jumper cables, sand, blankets, water and snacks, and keep the tank full.

During

  • Under a winter storm warning, find shelter right away.
  • Stay off the roads if you can. If you are stuck in your car, stay inside it.
  • Run generators and grills only outdoors, away from windows, and never heat your home with an oven or stove.

Source: Ready.gov, winter storms and cold

Hurricanes

Before

  • Know your hurricane risk, including rain, wind and tornadoes far inland from landfall.
  • Learn your evacuation zone and routes, and practice them with your household and pets.
  • Keep insurance policies and ID current, with password-protected digital copies.
  • Clear drains and gutters, bring in outdoor furniture and consider hurricane shutters.
  • Keep your phone charged, buy backup chargers and gather supplies, including medication and pet supplies.

During

  • If you are in a mandatory evacuation zone and officials order an evacuation, leave right away.
  • For high winds, take shelter in a designated storm shelter or an interior room.
  • If you are trapped by flooding, go to the highest level, but do not climb into a closed attic.

Source: Ready.gov, hurricanes

Floods

Before

  • Check your flood risk with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, and remember that floods do not follow map lines.
  • Sign up for your community's warning system. NOAA Weather Radio also broadcasts alerts.
  • Buy flood insurance through the NFIP well before a disaster. Homeowners policies do not cover flooding, and a new policy typically takes up to 30 days to go into effect.
  • Make a household plan with evacuation routes, shelter locations and what to do in a flash flood.
  • Keep important documents in a waterproof container and make password-protected digital copies.

During

  • If you are told to evacuate, leave right away and never drive around barricades.
  • Do not walk, swim or drive through floodwater. Six inches of moving water can knock you down.
  • If you are trapped in a building, go to the highest level, but do not climb into a closed attic.

Source: Ready.gov, floods

Questions people ask

Is Lebanon County at risk of flooding?
FEMA rates inland flooding Relatively Moderate for Lebanon County compared with other US counties[15]. FEMA's Expected Annual Loss for inland flooding is $26.7 million a year[7].
Does Lebanon County get tornadoes?
NOAA's tornado database records 19 tornadoes touching the county from 1950 to 2024[4]. FEMA rates tornado risk Relatively Moderate compared with other US counties[18].
Is Lebanon County at risk of earthquakes?
FEMA rates earthquake risk Relatively Low compared with other US counties[16]. FEMA lists Expected Annual Loss of $1.8 million a year for earthquakes[16].
How many disasters were declared in Lebanon County?
OpenFEMA lists 17 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include the county since 1972[2].
How do I check a flood zone in Lebanon County?
Look up the address in FEMA's Flood Map Service Center or ask the local floodplain manager[28]. County ratings do not show the flood zone of one address[28].

Facts and sources

  1. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Lebanon County is $43.2 million a year (Expected Annual Loss rating Relatively Low, score 81.2). Of this, buildings account for $32.8 million, injuries and deaths (converted to dollars by FEMA) for $8.1... FEMA National Risk Index
  2. OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries list 17 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Lebanon County since 1972 (12 major disaster, 5 emergency or fire management). By incident type: flood 6, severe storm 4, snowstorm 4, hurricane 3. Biological (such as COVID-19) and other non-natural... OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations
  3. HazardFacts tally of OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (losses from 1978 to 2026): 1,005 National Flood Insurance Program claims were filed for losses in Lebanon County, 840 of them with a payment, and NFIP paid $15.9 million in total (building, contents and increased cost of compliance, in dollars of the year paid).... OpenFEMA NFIP claims
  4. NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950 to 2024): 19 recorded tornadoes touched Lebanon County. The strongest were rated F3 (most recent of them on 2004-07-14). 2 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger. The most recent recorded tornado was on 2021-07-29. Ratings used the Fujita scale until early 2007 and the... NOAA Storm Prediction Center
  5. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): the overall natural hazard Risk Index rating for Lebanon County is Relatively Low, with a Risk Index score of 79.8 out of 100. The score is the county's percentile rank among all US counties. FEMA National Risk Index
  6. Among the 18 hazards in the FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), the hazards with the highest hazard-type Risk Index scores for Lebanon County are winter weather (92.0, Relatively High), strong wind (88.2, Relatively High), lightning (86.8, Relatively High). HazardFacts sorted FEMA's published... FEMA National Risk Index
  7. HazardFacts sorted FEMA's hazard-type Expected Annual Loss values for Lebanon County (National Risk Index v1.20): the largest are inland flooding ($26.7 million a year), hurricane ($4.9 million a year), tornado ($2.6 million a year), out of $43.2 million a year from all 18 hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  8. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Social Vulnerability rating for Lebanon County is Relatively Low (score 35.2). FEMA describes social vulnerability as how susceptible social groups are to the harm natural hazards cause. FEMA National Risk Index
  9. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Community Resilience rating for Lebanon County is Very High (score 83.3). FEMA describes community resilience as a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  10. FEMA's National Risk Index FAQ (December 2025): Expected Annual Loss is FEMA's estimate of the average economic loss in dollars from natural hazards each year. The index is not meant to predict how much damage a community will have in the next year, and a hazard can still cause damage where a rating is low. Scores... FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  11. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), winter weather in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 92.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $482,000 a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 12.37 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  12. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), strong wind in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 88.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.9 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 5.9 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  13. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), lightning in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 86.8 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.0 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 35.06 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 24 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  14. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hurricane in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 86.8 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $4.9 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.08 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 172... FEMA National Risk Index
  15. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), inland flooding in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 84.8 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $26.7 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 1.86 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of... FEMA National Risk Index
  16. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), earthquake in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 80.8 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.8 million a year (rating Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0014 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  17. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), heat wave in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 75.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.2 million a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 5.05 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  18. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), tornado in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 70.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2.6 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.2 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  19. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), drought in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 69.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $526,000 a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 1.12 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 22 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  20. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), landslide in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 63.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $3,570 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA National Risk Index
  21. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), cold wave in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 61.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.6 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 1.16 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  22. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), ice storm in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 56.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $117,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 1.09 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 68 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  23. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hail in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 36.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $165,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 2.51 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 37 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  24. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), avalanche in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 28.6 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $100 a year (rating Very Low). Annualized frequency 0.01 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 28 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  25. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), wildfire in Lebanon County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 22.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $9,442 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  26. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates these hazards Not Applicable for Lebanon County: coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity. FEMA uses Not Applicable when its source data has no historical record of the hazard in the community and the hazard is not considered geographically possible... FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  27. NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (OpenFEMA, as of 2026-08-03): 221 residential flood insurance contracts were in force in Lebanon County, out of 51,580 residential structures, a penetration rate of 0.4%. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area there were 477 residential structures and 140 contracts, a rate... OpenFEMA NFIP penetration rates
  28. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood maps (Flood Insurance Rate Maps) produced under the National Flood Insurance Program. Flood zones apply to specific properties: look up an address there or ask the local floodplain manager. County-level ratings do not tell you the flood zone of... FEMA Flood Map Service Center
  29. Most recent federal disaster declarations for natural hazards (table on this page). OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations

FEMA's National Risk Index compares each county with all other US counties. Ratings are relative (Very Low to Very High), not a measure of safety. Never call a place safe, unsafe, good or bad to live in. Risk Index and Expected Annual Loss values are FEMA estimates for planning. They do not predict next year's losses and do not apply to a single property. Flood zones are set by FEMA flood maps for specific properties. County ratings and flood insurance counts do not tell anyone whether an address is in a flood zone. Disaster declaration, NFIP and tornado counts are records of the past for this county only. Do not compare with other counties unless a fact does.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties, v1.20 (December 2025). Retrieved from fema.maps.arcgis.com on October 30, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.