Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Pine Grove Township than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Grove Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #911 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 86 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 Pine Grove 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
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 Pine Grove Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pine Grove Township, and Pine Grove Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
C #911 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pine Grove 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, Pine Grove Township has more expected damage per building than 88% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Pine Grove Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pine Grove Township flood? Sometimes: 86 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pine Grove Township, from FEMA’s records: 45.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee20 claims · $2.7M
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $2K
Pine Grove 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: Schuylkill County.The storms Pine Grove Township remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Schuylkill County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pine Grove Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201122 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Schuylkill County
- 200613 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Schuylkill County
- 199812 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Schuylkill County has had 20 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.
Old photos of Pine Grove Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pine Grove Township archive →Pine Grove Township and its neighbors
Pine Grove Township is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Washington Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pine Grove Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 86 |
| Tremont Township | — | 272 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 Pine Grove 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.
- 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 Pine Grove Township
Is Pine Grove Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Grove Township has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #911 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Pine Grove Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 86 claims in Pine Grove Township since 1978, $5.4M in all, or 45.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (20).
Is Pine Grove 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 Schuylkill County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pine Grove Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pine Grove 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 Pine Grove Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 20 paid, $2.7M.
Is Pine Grove Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Pine Grove Township’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pine Grove Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pine Grove 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.