Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Greenwich Township than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Greenwich Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #630 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 24 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 Greenwich Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Greenwich 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
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 Greenwich Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Greenwich Township, and Greenwich Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
B #630 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Greenwich Township’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, Greenwich Township has more expected damage per building than 61% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Greenwich Township: $953K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Greenwich Township flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Greenwich Township, from FEMA’s records: 17.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isaias2 claims · $66K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $20K
Greenwich 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 Greenwich Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Greenwich Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19965 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Berks County
- 19874 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19793 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Greenwich Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Greenwich Township archive →Greenwich Township and its neighbors
Greenwich Township is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Perry Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Greenwich Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Windsor Township | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Albany Township | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Virginville | — | 336 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Greenwich 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.
- 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 Greenwich Township
Is Greenwich Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Greenwich Township has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #630 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Greenwich Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Greenwich Township since 1979, $264K in all, or 17.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (2).
Is Greenwich 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 Greenwich Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Greenwich 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 Greenwich Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 2 paid, $66K.
Is Greenwich Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Greenwich Township’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Greenwich Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Greenwich 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.