Photo: brian kelly · CC BY 2.0FEMA puts Cumru Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cumru Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #278 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then hurricanes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1982.
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 Cumru 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
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 Cumru Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cumru Township, and Cumru Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 16% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
A #278 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cumru 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, Cumru Township has less expected damage per building than 73% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Cumru Township: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cumru Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cumru Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Cumru 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: Berks County.The storms Cumru Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cumru Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20011 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Allison, declared for Berks County
- 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Berks County
Berks County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Cumru Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cumru Township archive →Cumru Township and its neighbors
Cumru Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 9 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumru Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Spring Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
| Brecknock Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| West Reading | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Robeson Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 39 |
| Wyomissing | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Shillington | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Kenhorst | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Reading | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 88 |
| Grill | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Pennwyn | — | 384 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 Cumru 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Cumru Township
Is Cumru Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cumru Township has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #278 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and hurricanes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cumru Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Cumru Township since 1982, $44K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Cumru 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 Berks County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cumru Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cumru Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Cumru Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Cumru Township’s rate for it is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cumru Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cumru 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.