Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Lower Alsace Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Alsace Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #507 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1987.
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 Lower Alsace 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
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.
What’s behind Lower Alsace Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Alsace Township, and Lower Alsace Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #507 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lower Alsace Township’s residents live in 2 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, Lower Alsace Township has less expected damage per building than 51% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1,000K a year in losses across Lower Alsace Township: $630K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lower Alsace Township flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Alsace Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $1K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $4K
Lower Alsace 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 Lower Alsace Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lower Alsace Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20237 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19871 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Berks County
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 Lower Alsace Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lower Alsace Township archive →Lower Alsace Township and its neighbors
Lower Alsace Township is 5th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alsace Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Mount Penn | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Cumru Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Exeter Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 295 |
| Lower Alsace Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| St. Lawrence | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Reading | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 88 |
| Pennside | — | 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 Lower Alsace 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.
- 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 Lower Alsace Township
Is Lower Alsace Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Alsace Township has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #507 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and hurricanes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lower Alsace Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Lower Alsace Township since 1987, $462K in all, or 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (1).
Is Lower Alsace 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 Lower Alsace Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lower Alsace 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 Lower Alsace Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 1 paid, $1K.
Is Lower Alsace Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Lower Alsace Township’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Alsace Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lower Alsace 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.