FEMA puts Penbrook’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Penbrook gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 3 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 Penbrook 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
Tornadoes
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 Penbrook’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Penbrook, and Penbrook’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 14% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
A #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Penbrook’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, Penbrook has less expected damage per building than 83% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $443K a year in losses across Penbrook: $300K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Penbrook flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Penbrook, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Penbrook isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dauphin County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Penbrook
Disasters that paid out in Penbrook itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Penbrook), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Dauphin County has had 17 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 Penbrook after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Penbrook archive →Penbrook and its neighbors
Penbrook has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penbrook | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Progress | — | 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 Penbrook 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Penbrook
Is Penbrook at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Penbrook has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) 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 Penbrook flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Penbrook since 1979, $9K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Penbrook 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 Dauphin County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Penbrook?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Penbrook’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 Penbrook?
By FEMA money that reached Penbrook, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 6 households applied for aid, $3K approved.
Is Penbrook at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Penbrook’s rate for it is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Penbrook.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Penbrook’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.