FEMA puts Brown Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brown Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #865 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 58 claims here since 1979.
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 Brown 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
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 Brown Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brown Township, and Brown Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #865 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Brown 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, Brown Township has more expected damage per building than 83% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Brown Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brown Township flood? Sometimes: 58 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brown Township, from FEMA’s records: 33.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan12 claims · $98K
Brown 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: Mifflin County.The storms Brown Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Mifflin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Brown Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199629 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Fran, declared for Mifflin County
- 200412 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Mifflin County
- 198410 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Mifflin County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Brown Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brown Township archive →Brown Township and its neighbors
Brown Township is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Granville Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Brown Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 58 |
| Derry Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Armagh Township | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
| Jackson Township | — | 829 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 Brown 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.
- 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 Brown Township
Is Brown Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brown Township has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #865 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Brown Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 58 claims in Brown Township since 1979, $467K in all, or 33.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (12).
Is Brown 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 Mifflin County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brown Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brown 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 Brown Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 12 paid, $98K.
Is Brown Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Brown Township’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brown Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brown 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.