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PA 662 NB at Franklin Street FleetwoodPhoto: Dough4872 · Public domain
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Fleetwood · FEMA

FEMA puts Fleetwood’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fleetwood gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, #476 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2020.

River and rain flooding 80%Hurricanes 9%Tornadoes 5%

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

less than 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#476 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
B+#476 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · lower than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2020 · $535K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
2
of 19 declared for Berks County
By hazard

What Fleetwood 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

80%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Hail Ice storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 8% of Fleetwood’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Fleetwood’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fleetwood, and Fleetwood’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Fleetwood sits
Fleetwood
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #476 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Fleetwood’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Hurricanes9%Tornadoes5%Everything else5%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fleetwood has less expected damage per building than 54% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $998K a year in losses across Fleetwood: $744K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Fleetwood’s 4,049 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Fleetwood flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2020

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fleetwood, from FEMA’s records: 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 3 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20202023
20202026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Isaias1 claim · $3K
4
paid claims since 2020
$535K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$134K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Fleetwood 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.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fleetwood

Disasters that paid out in Fleetwood itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Fleetwood), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2011Tropical Storm Lee7 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  2. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FleetwoodBerks County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Fleetwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Fleetwood archive →
Next door

Fleetwood and its neighbors

Fleetwood is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Richmond Township: hazard risk A−Ruscombmanor Township: hazard risk A+Richmond TownshipRuscombmanor TownshipFleetwood
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Ruscombmanor TownshipA+less damage than 97%river and rain flooding2
Richmond TownshipA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding30
FleetwoodB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding4

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Fleetwood faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Fleetwood

Is Fleetwood at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fleetwood has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #476 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (9%). 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 Fleetwood flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Fleetwood since 2020, $535K in all, or 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (1).

Is Fleetwood 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 Fleetwood?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fleetwood’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 Fleetwood?

By FEMA money that reached Fleetwood, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 7 households applied for aid, $4K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 1 paid, $3K.

Is Fleetwood at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Fleetwood’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fleetwood.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fleetwood’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.