Wilkes-Barre, PA Home InsuranceHome insurance in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Wilkes-Barre has shallow-flooding zones that are rated differently from the rest. Here's what to check.
Flood risk in Wilkes-Barre
Flooding is not covered by a standard homeowners policy anywhere in the country — it is a separate policy. Whether you are required to carry it depends on the zone your address falls in.
FEMA's current mapping for the Wilkes-Barre area shows Zone AE, Zone A, Zone AO alongside Zone X, which is the lower-risk designation.
Wilkes-Barre includes Zone AO. That is shallow sheet flooding — water spreading across the surface rather than a river coming up. It is rated on depth rather than elevation, so the usual advice about elevation certificates does not apply the same way.
WILKES-BARRE, CITY OF is in FEMA's Community Rating System at Class 6, which earns residents 20% off flood insurance in the high-risk zones. Most homeowners have never heard of this and it applies automatically.
Source: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer; NFIP community 420631.