Eleutherian College · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLancaster Township’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lancaster Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2002.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Lancaster Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Lancaster Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lancaster Township, and Lancaster Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 16%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lancaster Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $639K a year in losses across Lancaster Township: $390K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lancaster Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2002
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lancaster Township, from FEMA’s records: 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Lancaster Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.The storms Lancaster Township remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lancaster Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20022 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Jefferson County
- 20031 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20091 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm, declared for Jefferson County
Jefferson County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Lancaster Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lancaster Township archive →Lancaster Township and its neighbors
Lancaster Township is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graham Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Smyrna Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lancaster Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Lovett Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Monroe Township | — | 500 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Montgomery Township | — | 690 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Lancaster Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Lancaster Township
Is Lancaster Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lancaster Township has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and tornadoes (16%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lancaster Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Lancaster Township since 2002, $26K in all, or 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Lancaster Township in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Jefferson County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lancaster Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lancaster Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Lancaster Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Lancaster Township’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lancaster Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lancaster Township’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.