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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Christiana · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Christiana as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Christiana gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%), then hurricanes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 82%Hurricanes 11%Earthquakes 4%

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

more than 53%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Pennsylvania · higher than 53% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
14
paid since 1978 · $484K
Flooded more than once
1
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
3
of 18 declared for Lancaster County
By hazard

What Christiana 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

82%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hail Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts hurricanes at 20% of Christiana’s expected losses. Hurricanes do little damage to buildings (11.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Christiana’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Christiana, and Christiana’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 11% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Christiana sits
Christiana
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Christiana’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Hurricanes11%Earthquakes4%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $411K a year in losses across Christiana: $250K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Christiana’s 1,112 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Sadsbury township (3,536 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Christiana flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Christiana, from FEMA’s records: 39.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 2 claims1979: 8 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 3 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819791984
19782026
14
paid claims since 1978
$484K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$35K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Christiana isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Lancaster County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Christiana

Disasters that paid out in Christiana itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Christiana), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2011Tropical Storm Lee3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$226 aid approved
  3. 2003Tropical Storms Henri and Isabel and Related Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ChristianaLancaster County only

Lancaster County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Christiana after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Christiana archive →
Next door

Christiana and its neighbors

Christiana is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

West Sadsbury Township: hazard risk B+Sadsbury Township: hazard risk B−West Sadsbury TownshipSadsbury TownshipChristiana
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
West Sadsbury TownshipB+less damage than 73%river and rain flooding6
Sadsbury TownshipB−more damage than 53%river and rain flooding—
ChristianaB−more damage than 53%river and rain flooding14

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Christiana faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Christiana

Is Christiana at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Christiana has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (11%). 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 Christiana flood?

Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Christiana since 1978, $484K in all, or 39.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Christiana 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 Lancaster County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Christiana?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Christiana’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 Christiana?

By FEMA money that reached Christiana, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 3 households applied for aid, $2K approved.

Is Christiana at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Christiana’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Christiana.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Christiana’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.