On FEMA’s figures, Hamilton Township faces less hazard damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hamilton Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #635 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then hurricanes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 53 claims here since 1993.
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 Hamilton Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Hamilton 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 Hamilton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hamilton Township, and Hamilton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 11% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
B #635 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hamilton Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hamilton Township has more expected damage per building than 61% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $806K a year in losses across Hamilton Township: $545K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hamilton Township flood? Sometimes: 53 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hamilton Township, from FEMA’s records: 52.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isaias7 claims · $716K
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $102K
- Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $96K
Hamilton 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: Adams County.The storms Hamilton Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Adams County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hamilton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201121 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Adams County
- 20207 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19966 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, Severe Storms, declared for Adams County
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 Hamilton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hamilton Township archive →Hamilton Township and its neighbors
Hamilton Township is 6th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berwick Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Abbottstown | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Oxford Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Paradise Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Mount Pleasant Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Hamilton Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Reading Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 156 |
| East Berlin | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Hampton | — | 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton Township
Is Hamilton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hamilton Township has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #635 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (11%). 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 Hamilton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 53 claims in Hamilton Township since 1993, $2.1M in all, or 52.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (7).
Is Hamilton 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 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 Hamilton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hamilton 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 Hamilton Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 7 paid, $716K.
Is Hamilton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Hamilton Township’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hamilton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hamilton 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.