Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Millersburg as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Millersburg gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #714 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 34 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 Millersburg 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 Millersburg’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Millersburg, and Millersburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 7% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #714 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Millersburg’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, Millersburg has more expected damage per building than 69% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $855K a year in losses across Millersburg: $733K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Millersburg flood? Sometimes: 34 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Millersburg, from FEMA’s records: 26.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee9 claims · $142K
- Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $21K
Millersburg 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.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Millersburg
Disasters that paid out in Millersburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Millersburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee48 households applied for aid$86K aid approved9 flood claims paid for it, $142K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan11 households applied for aid$17K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $21K
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 Millersburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Millersburg archive →Millersburg and its neighbors
Millersburg has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millersburg | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Lenkerville | — | 775 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 Millersburg 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 Millersburg
Is Millersburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Millersburg has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #714 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and hurricanes (7%). 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 Millersburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 34 claims in Millersburg since 1979, $277K in all, or 26.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (9).
Is Millersburg 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 Millersburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Millersburg’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 Millersburg?
By FEMA money that reached Millersburg, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 48 households applied for aid, $86K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 9 paid, $142K.
Is Millersburg at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Millersburg’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Millersburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Millersburg’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.