Fulton Opera House · Photo: Scanlan · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Lancaster faces more hazard damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lancaster gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, #933 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 81 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 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 Lancaster’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lancaster, and Lancaster’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
C #933 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lancaster’s residents live in 20 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 has more expected damage per building than 90% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $18.0M a year in losses across Lancaster: $15.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lancaster flood? Sometimes: 81 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lancaster, from FEMA’s records: 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee38 claims · $1.0M
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $71K
Lancaster 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lancaster
Disasters that paid out in Lancaster itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lancaster), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee575 households applied for aid$890K aid approved38 flood claims paid for it, $1.0M
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides117 households applied for aid$170K aid approved1 flood claim paid 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 after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lancaster archive →Lancaster and its neighbors
Lancaster is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| West Lampeter Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 91 |
| Lancaster | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 81 |
| Lancaster Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 99 |
| Willow Street | — | 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster
Is Lancaster at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lancaster has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #933 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lancaster flood?
Flood insurance has paid 81 claims in Lancaster since 1978, $1.4M in all, or 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (38).
Is Lancaster 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?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lancaster’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?
By FEMA money that reached Lancaster, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 575 households applied for aid, $890K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 38 paid, $1.0M.
Is Lancaster at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Lancaster’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lancaster.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lancaster’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.