Photo: Penndyl · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, New Cumberland faces more hazard damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Cumberland gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #1,029 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 254 claims here since 1978.
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 New Cumberland’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What New Cumberland 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
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 New Cumberland’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Cumberland, and New Cumberland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D #1,029 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
New Cumberland’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, New Cumberland has more expected damage per building than 99% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.8M a year in losses across New Cumberland: $3.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does New Cumberland flood? Yes: 254 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in New Cumberland, from FEMA’s records: 71.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan68 claims · $1.6M
- Tropical Storm Lee63 claims · $1.9M
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $8K
New Cumberland isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cumberland County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to New Cumberland
Disasters that paid out in New Cumberland itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of New Cumberland), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida36 households applied for aid$54K aid approved
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee182 households applied for aid$488K aid approved63 flood claims paid for it, $1.9M
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan105 households applied for aid$386K aid approved68 flood claims paid for it, $1.6M
Cumberland 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 New Cumberland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the New Cumberland archive →New Cumberland and its neighbors
New Cumberland is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairview Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 125 |
| Swatara Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 312 |
| Lower Allen Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 87 |
| Lemoyne | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Harrisburg | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 1,516 |
| New Cumberland | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 254 |
| New Market | — | 718 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 New Cumberland 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.
- 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 New Cumberland
Is New Cumberland at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Cumberland has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,029 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does New Cumberland flood?
Flood insurance has paid 254 claims in New Cumberland since 1978, $4.7M in all, or 71.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 58 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (68).
Is New Cumberland 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 Cumberland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in New Cumberland?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Cumberland’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 New Cumberland?
By FEMA money that reached New Cumberland, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 182 households applied for aid, $488K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 68 paid, $1.6M.
Is New Cumberland at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and New Cumberland’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Cumberland.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where New Cumberland’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.