On FEMA’s figures, Dover Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dover Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #748 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 99 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 Dover 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 Dover Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dover Township, and Dover Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 12% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #748 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dover Township’s residents live in 5 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, Dover Township has more expected damage per building than 72% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.7M a year in losses across Dover Township: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dover Township flood? Sometimes: 99 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dover Township, from FEMA’s records: 10.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee13 claims · $202K
- Hurricane Ida6 claims · $162K
- Hurricane Sandy5 claims · $110K
Dover 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: York County.The storms Dover Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for York County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dover Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201118 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for York County
- 201317 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 199616 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for York County
York County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Dover Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dover Township archive →Dover Township and its neighbors
Dover Township is 7th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Warrington Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| West Manchester Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Paradise Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Washington Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Conewago Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 70 |
| Dover Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 99 |
| Weigelstown | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Shiloh | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Mount Royal | — | 245 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 Dover 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 Dover Township
Is Dover Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dover Township has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #748 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dover Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 99 claims in Dover Township since 1978, $1.3M in all, or 10.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 17 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (13).
Is Dover 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 York County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Dover Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dover 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 Dover Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 13 paid, $202K.
Is Dover Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Dover Township’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dover Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dover 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.