Conewago Chapel · Photo: Smallbones · CC0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Conewago Township than in 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Conewago Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #542 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 70 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Conewago Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Conewago 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 Conewago Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Conewago Township, and Conewago Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 12% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #542 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Conewago Township’s residents live in 3 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, Conewago Township has more expected damage per building than 52% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Conewago Township: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Conewago Township flood? Sometimes: 70 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Conewago Township, from FEMA’s records: 21.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee19 claims · $260K
- Hurricane Ida14 claims · $509K
- Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $14K
Conewago 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: Adams County.The storms Conewago Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Adams County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Conewago Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201120 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Adams County
- 202114 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 201313 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Adams County has had 16 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 Conewago Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Conewago Township archive →Conewago Township and its neighbors
Conewago 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Berwick Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Oxford Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Union Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 291 |
| Conewago Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 70 |
| Mount Pleasant Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
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 Conewago 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 Conewago Township
Is Conewago Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Conewago Township has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #542 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hurricanes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Conewago Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 70 claims in Conewago Township since 1978, $1.0M in all, or 21.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (19).
Is Conewago 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 Adams County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Conewago Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Conewago 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 Conewago Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 19 paid, $260K.
Is Conewago Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Conewago Township’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Conewago Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Conewago 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.