Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Jefferson Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2021.
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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jefferson Township, and Jefferson Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
B lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Jefferson Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $934K a year in losses across Jefferson Township: $634K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Jefferson Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2021
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jefferson Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $5K
Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Jefferson Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20211 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 Jefferson Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Jefferson Township archive →Jefferson Township and its neighbors
Jefferson Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Tulpehocken Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Penn Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Tulpehocken Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| North Heidelberg Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Jefferson Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bernville | — | 802 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township
Is Jefferson Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson Township has lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (9%). 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 Jefferson Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Jefferson Township since 2021, $5K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (1).
Is Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 1 paid, $5K.
Is Jefferson Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Jefferson Township’s rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jefferson Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Jefferson 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.