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Robesonia Furnace Historic DistrictRobesonia Furnace Historic District · Photo: Smallbones · CC0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Robesonia · FEMA

FEMA puts Robesonia’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Robesonia gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 75%Hurricanes 13%Earthquakes 5%

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 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Pennsylvania · lower than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
75% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 2011 · $26K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 19 declared for Berks County
By hazard

What Robesonia 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

75%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Winter storms Hail Ice storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Robesonia’s grade

River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Robesonia, and Robesonia’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Robesonia sits
Robesonia
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding75%Hurricanes13%Earthquakes5%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $654K a year in losses across Robesonia: $475K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Robesonia’s 2,035 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Womelsdorf borough (2,892 residents) and Heidelberg township (1,731 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 town’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 Robesonia flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Robesonia, from FEMA’s records: 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 4 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20112013
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Lee4 claims · $22K
5
paid claims since 2011
$26K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Robesonia 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

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Robesonia

Disasters that paid out in Robesonia itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Robesonia), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2011Tropical Storm Lee76 households applied for aid$156K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $22K
  2. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RobesoniaBerks 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 Robesonia after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Robesonia archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Robesonia 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Robesonia

Is Robesonia at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Robesonia has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) 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 Robesonia flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Robesonia since 2011, $26K in all, or 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (4).

Is Robesonia 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 Robesonia?

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

By FEMA money that reached Robesonia, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 76 households applied for aid, $156K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 4 paid, $22K.

Is Robesonia at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Robesonia’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Robesonia.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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