Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Manheim than in 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Manheim gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #1,027 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 151 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 Manheim’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Manheim 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 Manheim’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Manheim, and Manheim’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 5% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
D #1,027 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Manheim’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, Manheim has more expected damage per building than 99% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Manheim: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Manheim flood? Yes: 151 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Manheim, from FEMA’s records: 73.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee65 claims · $2.7M
- Hurricane Ida3 claims · $83K
Manheim 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 Manheim
Disasters that paid out in Manheim itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Manheim), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee628 households applied for aid$1.6M aid approved65 flood claims paid for it, $2.7M
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$9K aid approved3 flood claims 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 Manheim after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Manheim archive →Manheim and its neighbors
Manheim is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapho Township | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Penn Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Manheim | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 151 |
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 Manheim 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 Manheim
Is Manheim at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Manheim has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,027 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%) and hurricanes (5%). 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 Manheim flood?
Flood insurance has paid 151 claims in Manheim since 1978, $4.0M in all, or 73.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 14 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (65).
Is Manheim 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 Manheim?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Manheim’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 Manheim?
By FEMA money that reached Manheim, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 628 households applied for aid, $1.6M approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 65 paid, $2.7M.
Is Manheim at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Manheim’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Manheim.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Manheim’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.