Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Clay Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clay Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #816 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%), then hurricanes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2011.
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 Clay 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 Clay Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clay Township, and Clay Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 11% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #816 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Clay Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Clay Township has more expected damage per building than 79% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Clay Township: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Clay Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clay Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $15K
Clay 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: Lancaster County.The storms Clay Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Lancaster County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Clay Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Lancaster County
- 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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.
Old photos of Clay Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Clay Township archive →Clay Township and its neighbors
Clay Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heidelberg Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Elizabeth Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Warwick Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| West Cocalico Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Clay Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Ephrata Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Brickerville | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Hopeland | — | 760 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 Clay 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 Clay Township
Is Clay Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clay Township has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #816 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Clay Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Clay Township since 2011, $25K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Clay 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 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 Clay Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clay 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 Clay Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $15K.
Is Clay Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Clay Township’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clay Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clay 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.