Photo: Robert C. Shelley, Photographer · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Ontelaunee Township than in 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ontelaunee Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #560 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 37 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 Ontelaunee Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Ontelaunee 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
Earthquakes
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 Ontelaunee Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ontelaunee Township, and Ontelaunee Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #560 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ontelaunee 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, Ontelaunee Township has more expected damage per building than 54% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Ontelaunee Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ontelaunee Township flood? Sometimes: 37 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ontelaunee Township, from FEMA’s records: 33.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isaias2 claims · $53K
- Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $8K
Ontelaunee 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: Berks County.The storms Ontelaunee Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ontelaunee Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 197913 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20065 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Berks County
- 19784 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Berks County has had 19 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.
Old photos of Ontelaunee Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ontelaunee Township archive →Ontelaunee Township and its neighbors
Ontelaunee Township is 4th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bern Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Muhlenberg Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 134 |
| Perry Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Ontelaunee Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Centre Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Maidencreek Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Leesport | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Blandon | — | 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 Ontelaunee 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Ontelaunee Township
Is Ontelaunee Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ontelaunee Township has lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #560 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (9%). 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 Ontelaunee Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 37 claims in Ontelaunee Township since 1978, $284K in all, or 33.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (2).
Is Ontelaunee 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 Berks County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ontelaunee Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ontelaunee 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 Ontelaunee Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 2 paid, $53K.
Is Ontelaunee Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Ontelaunee Township’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ontelaunee Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ontelaunee 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.