Photo: Jack · CC BY-SA 2.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Shoemakersville than in 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shoemakersville gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 2006.
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 stands out about Shoemakersville’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Shoemakersville 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 Shoemakersville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shoemakersville, and Shoemakersville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Shoemakersville’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $491K a year in losses across Shoemakersville: $301K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shoemakersville flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shoemakersville, from FEMA’s records: 21.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $2K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $10K
Shoemakersville 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Shoemakersville
Disasters that paid out in Shoemakersville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Shoemakersville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee11 households applied for aid$15K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $2K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides47 households applied for aid$62K aid approved11 flood claims paid that year
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.
Old photos of Shoemakersville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shoemakersville archive →Shoemakersville and its neighbors
Shoemakersville is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Shoemakersville | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Centre Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
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 Shoemakersville 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 Shoemakersville
Is Shoemakersville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shoemakersville has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (9%). 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 Shoemakersville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Shoemakersville since 2006, $295K in all, or 21.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Shoemakersville 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 Shoemakersville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shoemakersville’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 Shoemakersville?
By FEMA money that reached Shoemakersville, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 47 households applied for aid, $62K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $2K.
Is Shoemakersville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Shoemakersville’s rate for it is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shoemakersville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shoemakersville’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.