Kreider Shoe Manufacturing Company · Photo: Niagara · CC BY 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Elizabethtown than in 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elizabethtown gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #640 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 15 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 Elizabethtown 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 Elizabethtown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elizabethtown, and Elizabethtown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B #640 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Elizabethtown’s residents live in 2 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, Elizabethtown has more expected damage per building than 62% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Elizabethtown: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Elizabethtown flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elizabethtown, from FEMA’s records: 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 50% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee10 claims · $292K
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $35K
Elizabethtown 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.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Elizabethtown
Disasters that paid out in Elizabethtown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Elizabethtown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee475 households applied for aid$705K aid approved10 flood claims paid for it, $292K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan7 households applied for aid$20K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $35K
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 Elizabethtown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elizabethtown archive →Elizabethtown and its neighbors
Elizabethtown is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Donegal Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Mount Joy Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Elizabethtown | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
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 Elizabethtown 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 Elizabethtown
Is Elizabethtown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elizabethtown has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #640 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and hurricanes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Elizabethtown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Elizabethtown since 1978, $330K in all, or 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 50% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (10).
Is Elizabethtown 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 Elizabethtown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elizabethtown’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 Elizabethtown?
By FEMA money that reached Elizabethtown, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 475 households applied for aid, $705K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 10 paid, $292K.
Is Elizabethtown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Elizabethtown’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elizabethtown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elizabethtown’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.