Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Halifax Township faces less hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Halifax Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #584 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). 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 Halifax Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Halifax 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 Halifax Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Halifax Township, and Halifax Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #584 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Halifax 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, Halifax Township has more expected damage per building than 56% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Halifax Township: $958K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Halifax Township flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Halifax Township, from FEMA’s records: 16.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan5 claims · $76K
- Tropical Storm Lee4 claims · $163K
Halifax 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: Dauphin County.The storms Halifax Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Dauphin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Halifax Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19968 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Dauphin County
- 20046 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Dauphin County
- 20114 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Dauphin County
Dauphin County has had 17 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 Halifax Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Halifax Township archive →Halifax Township and its neighbors
Halifax Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Watts Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Upper Paxton Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Buffalo Township | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Middle Paxton Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 266 |
| Reed Township | — | 195 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 Halifax 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 Halifax Township
Is Halifax Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Halifax Township has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #584 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hurricanes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Halifax Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Halifax Township since 1979, $373K in all, or 16.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 7 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (5).
Is Halifax 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 Dauphin County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Halifax Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Halifax 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 Halifax Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 5 paid, $76K.
Is Halifax Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Halifax Township’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Halifax Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Halifax 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.