Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Lower Swatara Township than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Swatara Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #449 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then hurricanes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 91 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 stands out about Lower Swatara Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lower Swatara 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 Lower Swatara Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Swatara Township, and Lower Swatara Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 11% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #449 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lower Swatara 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 Swatara Township has less expected damage per building than 57% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Lower Swatara Township: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lower Swatara Township flood? Sometimes: 91 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Swatara Township, from FEMA’s records: 21.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee28 claims · $1.7M
- Tropical Storm Ivan18 claims · $204K
Lower Swatara 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: Dauphin County.The storms Lower Swatara Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Dauphin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lower Swatara Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201132 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Dauphin County
- 200420 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Dauphin County
- 19798 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Dauphin County has had 17 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 Lower Swatara Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lower Swatara Township archive →Lower Swatara Township and its neighbors
Lower Swatara Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derry Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 181 |
| Lower Swatara Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 91 |
| Fairview Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 125 |
| Swatara Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 312 |
| Londonderry Township | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 224 |
| Newberry Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 88 |
| Steelton | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 140 |
| Middletown | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 340 |
| Highspire | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 211 |
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 Swatara 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 Lower Swatara Township
Is Lower Swatara Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Swatara Township has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #449 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lower Swatara Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 91 claims in Lower Swatara Township since 1978, $2.5M in all, or 21.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (28).
Is Lower Swatara 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 Dauphin County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lower Swatara Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lower Swatara 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 Swatara Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 28 paid, $1.7M.
Is Lower Swatara Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Lower Swatara Township’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Swatara Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lower Swatara 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.