Swigart's Mill · Photo: Smallbones · CC0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Paradise Township than in 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Paradise Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #586 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then hurricanes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 34 claims here since 1996.
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 Paradise Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Paradise 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
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 Paradise Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Paradise Township, and Paradise Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 14% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #586 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Paradise 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, Paradise Township has more expected damage per building than 56% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $911K a year in losses across Paradise Township: $653K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Paradise Township flood? Sometimes: 34 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Paradise Township, from FEMA’s records: 22.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee8 claims · $121K
- Hurricane Sandy4 claims · $63K
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $6K
Paradise 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: York County.The storms Paradise Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for York County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Paradise Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201117 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for York County
- 20137 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20124 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sandy, declared for York County
York County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Paradise Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Paradise Township archive →Paradise Township and its neighbors
Paradise Township is 5th of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbottstown | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Berwick Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Jackson Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Heidelberg Township | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Paradise Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Washington Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hamilton Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Dover Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 99 |
| East Berlin | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
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 Paradise 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.
- 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 Paradise Township
Is Paradise Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Paradise Township has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #586 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and hurricanes (14%). 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 Paradise Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 34 claims in Paradise Township since 1996, $484K in all, or 22.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (8).
Is Paradise 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 York County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Paradise Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Paradise 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 Paradise Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 8 paid, $121K.
Is Paradise Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Paradise Township’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Paradise Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Paradise 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.