Mill Tract Farm · Photo: Cervin Robinson, Photographer · Public domainFEMA puts Exeter Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Exeter Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #391 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 295 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 Exeter Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Exeter 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
Tornadoes
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 Exeter Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Exeter Township, and Exeter Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 14% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #391 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Exeter Township’s residents live in 7 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, Exeter Township has less expected damage per building than 62% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.4M a year in losses across Exeter Township: $4.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Exeter Township flood? Yes: 295 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Exeter Township, from FEMA’s records: 28.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee63 claims · $4.2M
- Tropical Storm Ivan30 claims · $577K
Exeter 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 Exeter Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Exeter Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201164 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Berks County
- 199640 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Berks County
- 200433 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Berks County
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 Exeter Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Exeter Township archive →Exeter Township and its neighbors
Exeter Township is 3rd of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alsace Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Cumru Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Exeter Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 295 |
| Robeson Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 39 |
| Lower Alsace Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Oley Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| St. Lawrence | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Amity Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Birdsboro | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Gibraltar | — | 398 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Reiffton | — | 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 Exeter 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Exeter Township
Is Exeter Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Exeter Township has lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #391 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Exeter Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 295 claims in Exeter Township since 1978, $7.1M in all, or 28.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 31 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (63).
Is Exeter 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 Exeter Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Exeter 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 Exeter Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 63 paid, $4.2M.
Is Exeter Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Exeter Township’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Exeter Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Exeter 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.