John's Burnt Mill Bridge · Photo: Smallbones · CC0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Mount Pleasant Township than in 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Pleasant Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #593 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then hurricanes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1992.
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 Mount Pleasant 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
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 Mount Pleasant Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Pleasant Township, and Mount Pleasant Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 11% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #593 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Mount Pleasant 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, Mount Pleasant Township has more expected damage per building than 57% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Mount Pleasant Township: $803K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mount Pleasant Township flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mount Pleasant Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $70K
Mount Pleasant 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: Adams County.The storms Mount Pleasant Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Adams County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mount Pleasant Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20212 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19921 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Snowfall and Winter Storm, declared for Adams County
Adams County has had 16 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 Mount Pleasant Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mount Pleasant Township archive →Mount Pleasant Township and its neighbors
Mount Pleasant Township is 6th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straban Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Oxford Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Union Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 291 |
| Conewago Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 70 |
| Germany Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Mount Pleasant Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Mount Joy Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Hamilton Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Reading Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 156 |
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 Mount Pleasant 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.
- 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 Mount Pleasant Township
Is Mount Pleasant Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Pleasant Township has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #593 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and hurricanes (11%). 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 Mount Pleasant Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Mount Pleasant Township since 1992, $81K in all, or 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (2).
Is Mount Pleasant 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 Adams County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mount Pleasant Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mount Pleasant 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 Mount Pleasant Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 2 paid, $70K.
Is Mount Pleasant Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Mount Pleasant Township’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Pleasant Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mount Pleasant 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.