Photo: Bubba73 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Gettysburg’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gettysburg gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #72 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then hurricanes (21%). Flood insurance has paid 35 claims here since 1979.
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 Gettysburg’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Gettysburg 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
Tornadoes
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 Gettysburg’s grade
River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gettysburg, and Gettysburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 95% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 21% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #72 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Gettysburg’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, Gettysburg has less expected damage per building than 93% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Gettysburg: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gettysburg flood? Sometimes: 35 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gettysburg, from FEMA’s records: 12.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Gettysburg isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Adams County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Gettysburg
Disasters that paid out in Gettysburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Gettysburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee66 households applied for aid$87K aid approved12 flood claims paid that year
Adams County has had 16 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 Gettysburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gettysburg archive →Gettysburg and its neighbors
Gettysburg has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| Straban Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Cumberland Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
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 Gettysburg 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.
- 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.
- 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 Gettysburg
Is Gettysburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gettysburg has lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #72 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and hurricanes (21%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Gettysburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 35 claims in Gettysburg since 1979, $806K in all, or 12.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Gettysburg 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 Adams County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gettysburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gettysburg’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 Gettysburg?
By FEMA money that reached Gettysburg, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 66 households applied for aid, $87K approved.
Is Gettysburg at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Gettysburg’s rate for it is lower than 95% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gettysburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gettysburg’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.