Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Orwigsburg’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orwigsburg gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #256 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 17 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 Orwigsburg’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Orwigsburg 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 Orwigsburg’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Orwigsburg, and Orwigsburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
A #256 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Orwigsburg’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, Orwigsburg has less expected damage per building than 75% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $689K a year in losses across Orwigsburg: $497K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Orwigsburg flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Orwigsburg, from FEMA’s records: 15.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Orwigsburg isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Schuylkill County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Orwigsburg
Disasters that paid out in Orwigsburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Orwigsburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee3 households applied for aid$4K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides26 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan4 households applied for aid$10K aid approved9 flood claims paid that year
Schuylkill County has had 20 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 Orwigsburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Orwigsburg archive →Orwigsburg and its neighbors
Orwigsburg 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orwigsburg | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| North Manheim Township | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| West Brunswick Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
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 Orwigsburg 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 Orwigsburg
Is Orwigsburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orwigsburg has lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #256 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) 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 Orwigsburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Orwigsburg since 1979, $112K in all, or 15.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Orwigsburg 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 Schuylkill County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Orwigsburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Orwigsburg’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 Orwigsburg?
By FEMA money that reached Orwigsburg, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 26 households applied for aid, $22K approved.
Is Orwigsburg at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Orwigsburg’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orwigsburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Orwigsburg’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.