Photo: Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5On FEMA’s figures, Earl Township faces less hazard damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Earl Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #473 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 4 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 Earl 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
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 Earl Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Earl Township, and Earl Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 16% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #473 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Earl 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, Earl Township has less expected damage per building than 54% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.9M a year in losses across Earl Township: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Earl Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Earl Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Earl 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: Lancaster County.The storms Earl Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Lancaster County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Earl Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19841 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lancaster County has had 18 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 Earl Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Earl Township archive →Earl Township and its neighbors
Earl Township is 3rd of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Earl Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Upper Leacock Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Earl Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| East Cocalico Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Leacock Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Ephrata Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Brecknock Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| West Earl Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Hinkletown | — | 181 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Blue Ball | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Earl 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.
- 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 Earl Township
Is Earl Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Earl Township has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #473 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (16%). 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 Earl Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Earl Township since 1978, $27K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Earl 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 Lancaster County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Earl Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Earl Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Earl Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Earl Township’s rate for it is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Earl Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Earl 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.