Photo: Randolph Carney · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Lancaster Township than in 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lancaster Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #960 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 99 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lancaster Township, and Lancaster Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #960 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lancaster Township’s residents live in 9 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, Lancaster Township has more expected damage per building than 93% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.3M a year in losses across Lancaster Township: $4.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lancaster Township flood? Sometimes: 99 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lancaster Township, from FEMA’s records: 13.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee16 claims · $829K
- Hurricane Ida6 claims · $108K
Lancaster 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: Lancaster County.The storms Lancaster Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Lancaster County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lancaster Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 197917 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 201116 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Lancaster County
- 197813 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lancaster County has had 18 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 Lancaster Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lancaster Township archive →Lancaster Township and its neighbors
Lancaster Township is 9th of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Hempfield Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 63 |
| Manheim Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| East Lampeter Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 73 |
| Millersville | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| West Lampeter Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 91 |
| Manor Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 133 |
| Pequea Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Lancaster | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 81 |
| Lancaster Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 99 |
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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster Township
Is Lancaster Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lancaster Township has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #960 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and hurricanes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lancaster Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 99 claims in Lancaster Township since 1978, $1.8M in all, or 13.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 12 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (16).
Is Lancaster 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 Lancaster County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lancaster Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lancaster 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 Lancaster Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 16 paid, $829K.
Is Lancaster Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Lancaster Township’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lancaster Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lancaster 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.