Photo: Gerry Dincher · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Mountville than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mountville gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #328 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Mountville 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 Mountville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mountville, and Mountville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 18% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
A #328 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Mountville’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, Mountville has less expected damage per building than 68% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $537K a year in losses across Mountville: $415K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mountville flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mountville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Mountville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lancaster County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mountville
Disasters that paid out in Mountville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Mountville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee26 households applied for aid$45K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$269 aid approved
Lancaster County has had 18 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 Mountville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mountville archive →Mountville and its neighbors
Mountville has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountville | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| West Hempfield Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Manor Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 133 |
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 Mountville 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 Mountville
Is Mountville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mountville has lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #328 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (18%). 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.
Is Mountville 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 Lancaster County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mountville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mountville’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 Mountville?
By FEMA money that reached Mountville, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 26 households applied for aid, $45K approved.
Is Mountville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Mountville’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mountville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mountville’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.