Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Lower Heidelberg 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 Heidelberg Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #506 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2010.
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 Heidelberg 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 Heidelberg Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Heidelberg Township, and Lower Heidelberg Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #506 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lower Heidelberg Township’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, Lower Heidelberg Township has less expected damage per building than 51% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Lower Heidelberg Township: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lower Heidelberg Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2010
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Heidelberg Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $562K
Lower Heidelberg 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 Heidelberg Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lower Heidelberg Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Berks County
- 20101 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20121 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sandy, 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 Heidelberg Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lower Heidelberg Township archive →Lower Heidelberg Township and its neighbors
Lower Heidelberg Township is 7th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Heidelberg Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Sinking Spring | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Wernersville | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Bern Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Spring Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
| Heidelberg Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lower Heidelberg Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Penn Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| North Heidelberg Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Heidelberg 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 Heidelberg Township
Is Lower Heidelberg Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Heidelberg Township has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #506 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hurricanes (13%). 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 Lower Heidelberg Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Lower Heidelberg Township since 2010, $651K in all, or 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Lower Heidelberg 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 Heidelberg Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lower Heidelberg 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 Heidelberg Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $562K.
Is Lower Heidelberg Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Lower Heidelberg Township’s rate for it is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Heidelberg Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lower Heidelberg 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.