FEMA puts Shiremanstown’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shiremanstown gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim 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 Shiremanstown 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 Shiremanstown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shiremanstown, and Shiremanstown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Shiremanstown’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $205K a year in losses across Shiremanstown: $147K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shiremanstown flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shiremanstown, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Shiremanstown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cumberland County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Shiremanstown
Disasters that paid out in Shiremanstown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Shiremanstown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee2 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Cumberland County has had 15 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 Shiremanstown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shiremanstown archive →Shiremanstown and its neighbors
Shiremanstown has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shiremanstown | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Hampden Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 165 |
| Lower Allen Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 87 |
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 Shiremanstown 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 Shiremanstown
Is Shiremanstown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shiremanstown has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) 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 Shiremanstown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Shiremanstown since 1979, $3K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Shiremanstown 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 Cumberland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Shiremanstown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shiremanstown’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 Shiremanstown?
By FEMA money that reached Shiremanstown, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 2 households applied for aid, $5K approved.
Is Shiremanstown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Shiremanstown’s rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shiremanstown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shiremanstown’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.