Baumgardner's Mill Covered Bridge · Photo: Photo by and (c)2006 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) · CC BY-SA 2.5On FEMA’s figures, Pequea Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pequea Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #797 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 18 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 Pequea 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 Pequea Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pequea Township, and Pequea Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #797 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pequea 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, Pequea Township has more expected damage per building than 77% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Pequea Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pequea Township flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pequea Township, from FEMA’s records: 7.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $18K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $9K
Pequea 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pequea Township
Disasters that paid out in Pequea Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Pequea Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee4 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$749 aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
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 Pequea Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pequea Township archive →Pequea Township and its neighbors
Pequea Township is 7th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millersville | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Providence Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| West Lampeter Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 91 |
| Martic Township | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Manor Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 133 |
| Strasburg Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 131 |
| Pequea Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Conestoga Township | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Lancaster Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 99 |
| Refton | — | 321 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Willow Street | — | 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 Pequea 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 Pequea Township
Is Pequea Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pequea Township has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #797 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and hurricanes (13%). 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 Pequea Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 18 claims in Pequea Township since 1978, $253K in all, or 7.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (2).
Is Pequea 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 Pequea Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pequea 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 Pequea Township?
By FEMA money that reached Pequea Township, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 4 households applied for aid, $13K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 2 paid, $18K.
Is Pequea Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Pequea Township’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pequea Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pequea 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.