Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Maxatawny Township than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Maxatawny Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #237 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1979.
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 Maxatawny 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
Earthquakes
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 Maxatawny Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Maxatawny Township, and Maxatawny Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 12% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
A #237 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Maxatawny 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, Maxatawny Township has less expected damage per building than 77% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Maxatawny Township: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Maxatawny Township flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Maxatawny Township, from FEMA’s records: 8.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isaias3 claims · $162K
Maxatawny 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 Maxatawny Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Maxatawny Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19794 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20203 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19992 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations, 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 Maxatawny Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Maxatawny Township archive →Maxatawny Township and its neighbors
Maxatawny Township is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weisenberg Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Rockland Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Maxatawny Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Upper Macungie Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Longswamp Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Richmond Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Lyons | — | 466 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Dryville | — | 256 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bowers | — | 103 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Maxatawny 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Maxatawny Township
Is Maxatawny Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Maxatawny Township has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #237 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and hurricanes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Maxatawny Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Maxatawny Township since 1979, $289K in all, or 8.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (3).
Is Maxatawny 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 Maxatawny Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Maxatawny 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 Maxatawny Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 3 paid, $162K.
Is Maxatawny Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Maxatawny Township’s rate for it is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Maxatawny Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Maxatawny 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.