Photo: T. M. Fowler, artist; A. E. Downs, lithographer. · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Birdsboro as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Birdsboro gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #751 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 18 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 Birdsboro 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
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 Birdsboro’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Birdsboro, and Birdsboro’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #751 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Birdsboro’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, Birdsboro has more expected damage per building than 72% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Birdsboro: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Birdsboro flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Birdsboro, from FEMA’s records: 8.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $13K
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $8K
Birdsboro 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Birdsboro
Disasters that paid out in Birdsboro itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Birdsboro), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee13 households applied for aid$18K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $8K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides17 households applied for aid$17K aid approved2 flood claims paid 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 Birdsboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Birdsboro archive →Birdsboro and its neighbors
Birdsboro is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exeter Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 295 |
| Robeson Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 39 |
| Union Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Birdsboro | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
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 Birdsboro 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.
- 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 Birdsboro
Is Birdsboro at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Birdsboro has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #751 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (10%). 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 Birdsboro flood?
Flood insurance has paid 18 claims in Birdsboro since 1987, $291K in all, or 8.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (2).
Is Birdsboro 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 Birdsboro?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Birdsboro’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 Birdsboro?
By FEMA money that reached Birdsboro, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 13 households applied for aid, $18K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 2 paid, $13K.
Is Birdsboro at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Birdsboro’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Birdsboro.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Birdsboro’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.