Photo: Smallbones · Public domainMore hazard damage per building is expected in Paradise Township than in 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Paradise Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #869 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 94 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 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 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Paradise Township, and Paradise Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #869 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 64% 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 84% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Paradise Township: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Paradise Township flood? Sometimes: 94 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Paradise Township, from FEMA’s records: 50.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee9 claims · $123K
- Hurricane Floyd4 claims · $57K
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: Lancaster County.The storms Paradise Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Lancaster County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Paradise Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201118 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Lancaster County
- 197816 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 199610 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Lancaster County
Lancaster County has had 18 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 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 7th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eden Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| East Lampeter Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 73 |
| Salisbury Township | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Leacock Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Strasburg Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 131 |
| Bart Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Paradise Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 94 |
| Soudersburg | — | 592 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 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 higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #869 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hurricanes (10%). 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 94 claims in Paradise Township since 1978, $813K in all, or 50.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 17 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (9).
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 Lancaster County, 27% 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: 9 paid, $123K.
Is Paradise Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Paradise Township’s rate for it is higher than 77% 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.