Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Silver Spring Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Silver Spring Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #742 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 43 claims 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 Silver Spring 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
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 Silver Spring Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Silver Spring Township, and Silver Spring Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 7% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #742 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Silver Spring Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Silver Spring Township has more expected damage per building than 72% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.5M a year in losses across Silver Spring Township: $5.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Silver Spring Township flood? Sometimes: 43 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Silver Spring Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan13 claims · $177K
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $3K
Silver Spring 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: Cumberland County.The storms Silver Spring Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cumberland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Silver Spring Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198413 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 200413 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Cumberland County
- 19964 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Fran, declared for Cumberland County
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 Silver Spring Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Silver Spring Township archive →Silver Spring Township and its neighbors
Silver Spring Township is 6th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Mechanicsburg | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| South Middleton Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Monroe Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 346 |
| Hampden Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 165 |
| Silver Spring Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Rye Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
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 Silver Spring 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.
- 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 Silver Spring Township
Is Silver Spring Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Silver Spring Township has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #742 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and hurricanes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Silver Spring Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 43 claims in Silver Spring Township since 1979, $304K in all, or 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (13).
Is Silver Spring 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 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 Silver Spring Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Silver Spring 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 Silver Spring Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 13 paid, $177K.
Is Silver Spring Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Silver Spring Township’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Silver Spring Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Silver Spring 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.