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 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Jacksonwald
Jacksonwald isn’t graded for hazard risk: Jacksonwald is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2021.
What Jacksonwald 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
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.
Does Jacksonwald flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2021
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jacksonwald, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $28K
Jacksonwald 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 Jacksonwald remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Jacksonwald itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20234 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20211 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20251 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 Jacksonwald after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Jacksonwald archive →Jacksonwald and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exeter Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 295 |
| St. Lawrence | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Reiffton | — | 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 Jacksonwald 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.
- 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 Jacksonwald
Does Jacksonwald flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Jacksonwald since 2021, $370K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (1).
Is Jacksonwald 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 Jacksonwald?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jacksonwald’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 Jacksonwald?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 1 paid, $28K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jacksonwald.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Jacksonwald’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.