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Keim HomesteadKeim Homestead · Photo: Hshuvaeva · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pike Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Pike Township faces less hazard damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pike Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then hurricanes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 78%Hurricanes 11%Tornadoes 6%

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

less than 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Pennsylvania · lower than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 1996 · $66K
Flood claims per home
11 per 1,000
more than 76% of U.S. towns

What stands out about Pike Township’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 83% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.4% of the damage it expects.
By hazard

What Pike 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

78%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

11%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Landslides top 3% Hail Ice storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Pike Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pike Township, and Pike Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 11% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Pike Township sits
Pike Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Pike Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding78%Hurricanes11%Tornadoes6%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $460K a year in losses across Pike Township: $309K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Pike Township’s 1,595 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with District township (1,378 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Pike Township flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pike Township, from FEMA’s records: 11.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 3 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620042006
19962026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan3 claims · $4K
  • Hurricane Isaias1 claim · $23K
  • Hurricane Debby1 claim · $23K
8
paid claims since 1996
$66K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Pike 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: Berks County.
Disasters

The storms Pike Township remembers

None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pike Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20043 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Berks County
  2. 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Berks County
  3. 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Berks County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Pike TownshipBerks County only

Berks County has had 19 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Pike Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Pike Township archive →
Next door

Pike Township and its neighbors

Pike Township is 4th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Oley Township: hazard risk BEarl Township: hazard risk BRockland Township: hazard risk ADistrict Township: hazard risk A−Colebrookdale Township: hazard risk A−Oley TownshipEarl TownshipRockland TownshipDistrict TownshipColebrookdale TownshipPike Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Rockland TownshipAless damage than 92%river and rain flooding7
Colebrookdale TownshipA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding12
District TownshipA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding—
Pike TownshipA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding8
Earl TownshipBless damage than 64%river and rain flooding45
Oley TownshipBless damage than 64%river and rain flooding14

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Pike 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Pike Township

Is Pike Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pike Township has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and hurricanes (11%). 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 Pike Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Pike Township since 1996, $66K in all, or 11.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (3).

Is Pike 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 Berks County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pike Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pike 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 Pike Township?

By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 3 paid, $4K.

Is Pike Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Pike Township’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pike Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pike 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.