Photo: bazusa · CC BY 2.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Branch Township than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Branch Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2006.
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 Branch 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
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 Branch Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Branch Township, and Branch Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
A− lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Branch Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $479K a year in losses across Branch Township: $380K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Branch Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Branch Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Branch 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: Schuylkill County.The storms Branch Township remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Schuylkill County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Branch Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20062 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Schuylkill County
Schuylkill County has had 20 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 Branch Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Branch Township archive →Branch Township and its neighbors
Branch Township is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Wayne Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Branch Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Norwegian Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | — |
| North Manheim Township | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Pottsville | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Reilly Township | — | 678 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 Branch 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.
- 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 Branch Township
Is Branch Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Branch Township has lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hurricanes (8%). 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 Branch Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Branch Township since 2006, $5K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Branch 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 Schuylkill County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Branch Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Branch Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Branch Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Branch Township’s rate for it is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Branch Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Branch 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.