Photo: Dough4872 · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Kutztown 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, Kutztown gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #832 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 54 claims here since 1978.
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 Kutztown 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
Earthquakes
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 Kutztown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kutztown, and Kutztown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #832 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Kutztown’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, Kutztown has more expected damage per building than 80% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Kutztown: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kutztown flood? Sometimes: 54 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kutztown, from FEMA’s records: 26.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isaias10 claims · $176K
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $9K
Kutztown 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Kutztown
Disasters that paid out in Kutztown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Kutztown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee5 households applied for aid$506 aid approved2 flood claims paid 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 Kutztown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kutztown archive →Kutztown and its neighbors
Kutztown has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kutztown | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 54 |
| Kutztown University | — | 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 Kutztown 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Kutztown
Is Kutztown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kutztown has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #832 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Kutztown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 54 claims in Kutztown since 1978, $863K in all, or 26.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (10).
Is Kutztown 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 Kutztown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kutztown’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 Kutztown?
By FEMA money that reached Kutztown, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 5 households applied for aid, $506 approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 10 paid, $176K.
Is Kutztown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Kutztown’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kutztown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kutztown’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.