Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Ephrata 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, Ephrata gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #735 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 78 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 Ephrata 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 Ephrata’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ephrata, and Ephrata’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 12% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #735 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ephrata’s residents live in 3 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, Ephrata has more expected damage per building than 71% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Ephrata: $3.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ephrata flood? Sometimes: 78 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ephrata, from FEMA’s records: 12.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee31 claims · $1.8M
- Hurricane Floyd6 claims · $18K
- Hurricane Ida4 claims · $38K
Ephrata 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ephrata
Disasters that paid out in Ephrata itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Ephrata), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee173 households applied for aid$492K aid approved31 flood claims paid for it, $1.8M
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides7 households applied for aid$13K aid approved1 flood claim paid 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 Ephrata after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ephrata archive →Ephrata and its neighbors
Ephrata is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Ephrata | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 78 |
| Ephrata Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
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 Ephrata 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 Ephrata
Is Ephrata at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ephrata has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #735 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and hurricanes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ephrata flood?
Flood insurance has paid 78 claims in Ephrata since 1978, $2.6M in all, or 12.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 8 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (31).
Is Ephrata 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 Ephrata?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ephrata’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 Ephrata?
By FEMA money that reached Ephrata, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 173 households applied for aid, $492K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 31 paid, $1.8M.
Is Ephrata at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Ephrata’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ephrata.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ephrata’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.