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Minersville Borough Office, Schuylkill Co PA 02Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Minersville · FEMA

FEMA puts Minersville’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minersville gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #967 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 2006.

River and rain flooding 93%Hurricanes 4%Tornadoes 2%

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

more than 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#967 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
C−#967 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
93% of expected building damage
Flood claims
15
paid since 2006 · $377K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 20 declared for Schuylkill County
By hazard

What Minersville 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

93%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Minersville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Minersville, and Minersville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Minersville sits
Minersville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #967 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Minersville’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding93%Hurricanes4%Everything else4%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Minersville has more expected damage per building than 93% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Minersville: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Minersville’s 4,370 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Minersville flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 2006

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Minersville, from FEMA’s records: 6.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2006: 13 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20062018
20062026
15
paid claims since 2006
$377K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$25K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Minersville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Schuylkill County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Minersville

Disasters that paid out in Minersville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Minersville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2011Tropical Storm Lee13 households applied for aid$35K aid approved
  2. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides63 households applied for aid$111K aid approved13 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan2 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MinersvilleSchuylkill County only

Schuylkill County has had 20 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Minersville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Minersville archive →
Next door

Minersville and its neighbors

Minersville is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Norwegian Township: hazard risk A−Cass Township: hazard risk A+Norwegian TownshipCass TownshipMinersville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Cass TownshipA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding6
Norwegian TownshipA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding—
MinersvilleC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding15

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Minersville faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Minersville

Is Minersville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minersville has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #967 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Minersville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Minersville since 2006, $377K in all, or 6.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Minersville 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 Schuylkill County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Minersville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Minersville’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 Minersville?

By FEMA money that reached Minersville, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 63 households applied for aid, $111K approved.

Is Minersville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Minersville’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Minersville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Minersville’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.