Photo: Christopher Meng · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Dickinson Township faces less hazard damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dickinson Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #342 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1996.
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 Dickinson 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 Dickinson Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dickinson Township, and Dickinson Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 12% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #342 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Dickinson Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Dickinson Township has less expected damage per building than 67% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Dickinson Township: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dickinson Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dickinson Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Dickinson 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: Cumberland County.The storms Dickinson Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cumberland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dickinson Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19965 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Fran, declared for Cumberland County
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Cumberland County
Cumberland County has had 15 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 Dickinson Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dickinson Township archive →Dickinson Township and its neighbors
Dickinson Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dickinson Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| South Middleton Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| West Pennsboro Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Penn Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Cooke Township | — | 181 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 Dickinson 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 Dickinson Township
Is Dickinson Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dickinson Township has lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #342 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (12%). 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 Dickinson Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Dickinson Township since 1996, $54K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Dickinson 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 Cumberland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Dickinson Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dickinson Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Dickinson Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Dickinson Township’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dickinson Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dickinson 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.