Photo: Coemgenus · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Earl Township faces less hazard damage per building than 64% 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 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 45 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 stands out about Earl Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
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
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 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Earl Township, and Earl 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 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 more expected damage per building than 59% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $948K a year in losses across Earl Township: $663K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Earl Township flood? Sometimes: 45 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Earl Township, from FEMA’s records: 37.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $1K
- Hurricane Isaias1 claim · $58K
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: Berks County.The storms Earl Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Earl Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20057 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19846 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19785 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 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 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colebrookdale Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Pike Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Douglass Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Earl Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Oley Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Amity Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
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.
- 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 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 Earl Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 45 claims in Earl Township since 1978, $746K in all, or 37.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 7 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
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 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 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.
What was the biggest storm in Earl Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $1K.
Is Earl Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Earl Township’s rate for it is higher than 54% 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.