Photo: gerrydincher · CC BY-SA 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Middle Paxton Township than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middle Paxton Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #982 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 266 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 stands out about Middle Paxton Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Middle Paxton 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
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 Middle Paxton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Middle Paxton Township, and Middle Paxton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #982 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Middle Paxton 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, Middle Paxton Township has more expected damage per building than 95% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Middle Paxton Township: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Middle Paxton Township flood? Yes: 266 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Middle Paxton Township, from FEMA’s records: 106.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee70 claims · $1.7M
- Tropical Storm Ivan57 claims · $1.3M
Middle Paxton 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 Middle Paxton Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Dauphin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Middle Paxton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201177 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Dauphin County
- 200458 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Dauphin County
- 199641 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Dauphin County
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 Middle Paxton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Middle Paxton Township archive →Middle Paxton Township and its neighbors
Middle Paxton Township is 9th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| West Hanover Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Lower Paxton Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| Halifax Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| East Hanover Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
| Susquehanna Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 523 |
| Marysville | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 78 |
| Penn Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 254 |
| Middle Paxton Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 266 |
| Reed Township | — | 195 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Rush Township | — | 290 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 Middle Paxton 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.
- 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 Middle Paxton Township
Is Middle Paxton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middle Paxton Township has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #982 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Middle Paxton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 266 claims in Middle Paxton Township since 1979, $4.5M in all, or 106.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 59 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (70).
Is Middle Paxton 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 Middle Paxton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Middle Paxton 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 Middle Paxton Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 70 paid, $1.7M.
Is Middle Paxton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Middle Paxton Township’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Middle Paxton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Middle Paxton 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.