Isaac Meier Homestead · Photo: JoeRed · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Myerstown faces more hazard damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Myerstown gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #888 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 31 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 Myerstown’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Myerstown 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 Myerstown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Myerstown, and Myerstown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
C #888 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Myerstown’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, Myerstown has more expected damage per building than 86% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Myerstown: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Myerstown flood? Sometimes: 31 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Myerstown, from FEMA’s records: 22.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee13 claims · $191K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $6K
Myerstown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lebanon County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Myerstown
Disasters that paid out in Myerstown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Myerstown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee345 households applied for aid$773K aid approved13 flood claims paid for it, $191K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides39 households applied for aid$84K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan11 households applied for aid$28K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $6K
Lebanon County has had 15 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 Myerstown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Myerstown archive →Myerstown and its neighbors
Myerstown 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myerstown | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| West Myerstown | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Myerstown 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 Myerstown
Is Myerstown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Myerstown has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #888 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (8%). 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 Myerstown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 31 claims in Myerstown since 1979, $646K in all, or 22.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (13).
Is Myerstown 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 Lebanon County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Myerstown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Myerstown’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 Myerstown?
By FEMA money that reached Myerstown, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 345 households applied for aid, $773K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 13 paid, $191K.
Is Myerstown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Myerstown’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Myerstown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Myerstown’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.