Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Alsace Township than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alsace Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #104 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then hurricanes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1987.
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 Alsace 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
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
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 Alsace Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alsace Township, and Alsace Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 14% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #104 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Alsace Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Alsace Township has less expected damage per building than 90% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $700K a year in losses across Alsace Township: $426K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Alsace Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Alsace Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $6K
Alsace 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: Berks County.The storms Alsace Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Alsace Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19871 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19991 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations, declared for Berks County
- 20231 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Berks County has had 19 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 Alsace Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Alsace Township archive →Alsace Township and its neighbors
Alsace Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alsace Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Exeter Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 295 |
| Muhlenberg Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 134 |
| Lower Alsace Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Oley Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
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 Alsace 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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.
- 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 Alsace Township
Is Alsace Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alsace Township has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #104 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and hurricanes (14%). 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 Alsace Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Alsace Township since 1987, $112K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (1).
Is Alsace 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 Berks County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Alsace Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alsace Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Alsace Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 1 paid, $6K.
Is Alsace Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Alsace Township’s rate for it is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alsace Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alsace 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.