Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Churchtown

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Churchtown · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Churchtown

Churchtown isn’t graded for hazard risk: Churchtown has 763 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2003.

Flood claims
6
paid since 2003 · $46K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 18 declared for Lancaster County
By hazard

What Churchtown 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 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 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

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Churchtown flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Churchtown, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 1 claim2004: 2 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200320042005
20032026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $5K
6
paid claims since 2003
$46K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Churchtown 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

The storms Churchtown remembers

None of the 18 disasters declared for Lancaster County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Churchtown itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20042 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Lancaster County
  2. 20031 flood claims paidThe year of Snow, declared for Lancaster County
  3. 20051 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ChurchtownLancaster 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 Churchtown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Churchtown archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Churchtown 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 Churchtown

Does Churchtown flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Churchtown since 2003, $46K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Churchtown 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 Churchtown?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $5K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Churchtown.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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