Welcome to Lackawanna County, PA

Emergency Management

The Emergency Management Agency is responsible for the judicious planning, assignment and coordination of all available resources in an integrated program of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery for emergencies of any kind, whether from enemy attack, man-made or natural resources.

The purpose of Emergency Management is to:

Mitigate the effects of disasters
Prepare to respond and recover from disasters
Respond to emergency conditions
Recover from the effects of disasters

The Lackawanna County Emergency Management Agency is also responsible for organizing all locally available manpower, supplies, equipment and services necessary for disaster emergency readiness, response and recovery.

About 911 in Pennsylvania:

Approximately 70 percent of 911 calls in Pennsylvania are made from a mobile phone each year, either by a voice call or a text message. Text-to-911 is not yet available in all counties. You can find the status of text-to-911 service in the county where you live or work online.

While voice calls to 911 are always preferred, there are situations where texting may be necessary:

Making noise may endanger the caller;
Someone is suffering a medical emergency that makes them unable to speak; or
Individuals have speech or hearing impairments.

In Pennsylvania, each county is responsible for providing 911 service within their jurisdiction through a centralized Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) where all incoming 911 calls are received and dispatched to the appropriate local police, fire, or
emergency medical service responders.

Pennsylvania has 61 PSAPs serving 67 counties. A county may provide 911 service through participation in a regional 911 system.

Pennsylvania’s PSAPs process approximately 14.5 million requests for emergency services every year.

Emergency Management

Links

River Gauges

Training

Check Back for Future Training

Flood Risk Coalition

Are you flood-ready?

Flooding can happen anywhere, at any time, and it can happen fast. In Lackawanna County, hundreds of residents live in high-risk flood areas—many without realizing just how damaging floodwaters can be. For the past several years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been working with Lackawanna County to update flood risk maps that are not only easier to access but will provide current data on flood risk and how much protection levees provide to communities.

To protect our homes, loved ones, and community, all of us need to understand our own level of flood risk and what we can do to reduce it.

Know your flood risk

Flood risk changes over time due to weather patterns and land development. That’s why FEMA is updating the flood maps in Lackawanna County with the latest data to better show our risk, as individual property owners and as a community, so we can take action.

Find out how the new flood maps affect your property.

Insure your home.

Did you know?

Homeowners and renters insurance does not typically cover flood damage.
More than 20 percent of flood claims come from property outside of the high-risk area.
Just one inch of water can cause $25,000 in damage.

While no home is completely safe from flooding, flood insurance can be the difference between recovery or financial devastation.

Learn about your flood insurance coverage options.

Get ready.

There are things you can do, both big and small, to lower your property’s risk and reduce any damage from flooding. Remember: for every $1 spent on mitigation, $6 is saved in future disaster costs.

Find out how you can become flood-ready today:

Community Voices

Whether from hurricanes, heavy rains that swell rivers, or stormwater systems that overflow, most of us in Lackawanna County have experienced flooding. During the 2018 La Festa Italiana in Scranton, Pennsylvania, we asked residents to share their own experiences with flooding, tips for getting prepared, and thoughts on “living with water” in the future.

“Pay attention to the forecast. Just because you haven’t had water, doesn’t mean you’re not going to.”
—Bob Cetta, Resident and First Responder

Listen to our stories:

Ann Marie Carey – https://ogilvy.egnyte.com/dl/mEOca3KElu
Barbara Semian – https://ogilvy.egnyte.com/dl/2QMenxdmpz
Bernie McGurl – https://ogilvy.egnyte.com/dl/3InSQ8BPHR
Bob Cetta – https://ogilvy.egnyte.com/dl/sdUgHABTrq
Mary Liz Donato – https://ogilvy.egnyte.com/dl/FE6Gne49WP
Teresa Munson – https://ogilvy.egnyte.com/dl/JhJIGSzeAm

About the Lackawanna County Flood Risk Coalition

The Lackawanna County Flood Risk Coalition (LCFRC) is a network of individuals united by a shared commitment to encourage residents to understand their flood risk, adopt a proactive approach to address and mitigate against future natural disasters, and increase the county’s long-term resilience. The LCFRC was established in April 2018 to ensure our community understands upcoming map changes and is involved in the process every step of the way.

LACKAWANNA FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS (FIRMs) TIMELINE

July 2011:	FEMA released Preliminary FIRMs
September 2011:	Held outreach meeting with Lackawanna County communities
August 2017:	FEMA released revisions to the Preliminary FIRMs
November 2017:	Held outreach meeting with Lackawanna County communities
April 2018:	Established Lackawanna County Flood Risk Coalition
December 2019:	Letter of final determination issued to Lackawanna County (this provides the final maps and gives communities 6 months to adopt the new maps in local ordinances)
June 2020 (tentative):	New FIRMs become effective. Properties with Federal mortgages that are newly mapped into the floodplain will be required to carry flood insurance.

The preliminary FIRMs, which were released in 2011 and revised in August 2017, are the first digital FIRMs for Lackawanna County. These maps are a valuable resource for homeowners to assess their flood risk. Before these maps become effective in 2020, we want people to be prepared. The LCFRC was established to encourage community awareness and preparedness through proactive outreach and communication, so our community understands and can reduce its risk of flooding.

COALITION MEMBERS

NEWS

Press Release: “Lackawanna County Flood Risk Coalition Formed to Increase Flood Risk Awareness in Local Community”

JOIN

Want to join the Lackawanna County Flood Risk Coalition or learn more about upcoming events and opportunities? Submit your message below.

Disaster Preparedness, Recovery & Mitigation

Emergency Management

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