Photo: Hshuvaeva · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Douglass Township than in 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Douglass Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #613 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then hurricanes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 47 claims here since 1979.
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 Douglass Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Douglass 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 Douglass Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Douglass Township, and Douglass Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 11% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
B #613 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Douglass 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, Douglass Township has more expected damage per building than 59% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Douglass Township: $785K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Douglass Township flood? Sometimes: 47 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Douglass Township, from FEMA’s records: 26.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee4 claims · $211K
- Hurricane Isaias3 claims · $41K
Douglass 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 Douglass Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Douglass Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200613 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Berks County
- 197910 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20115 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, 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 Douglass Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Douglass Township archive →Douglass Township and its neighbors
Douglass Township is 4th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Pottsgrove Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Colebrookdale Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Earl Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Douglass Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Amity Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Union Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| West Pottsgrove Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Stowe | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Douglassville | — | 279 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 Douglass 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 Douglass Township
Is Douglass Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Douglass Township has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #613 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and hurricanes (11%). 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 Douglass Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 47 claims in Douglass Township since 1979, $1.2M in all, or 26.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (4).
Is Douglass 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 Douglass Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Douglass 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 Douglass Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 4 paid, $211K.
Is Douglass Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Douglass Township’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Douglass Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Douglass 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.