Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, South Annville 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, South Annville Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #689 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 14 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 South Annville 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 South Annville Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in South Annville Township, and South Annville Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
B #689 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of South Annville 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, South Annville Township has more expected damage per building than 66% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across South Annville Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does South Annville Township flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in South Annville Township, from FEMA’s records: 11.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee5 claims · $365K
South Annville 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: Lebanon County.The storms South Annville Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Lebanon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching South Annville Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19795 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20115 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Lebanon County
- 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Snowfall and Winter Storm, declared for Lebanon County
Lebanon 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 South Annville Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the South Annville Township archive →South Annville Township and its neighbors
South Annville Township is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Cornwall Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| South Londonderry Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| North Londonderry Township | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| South Annville Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| North Annville Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 85 |
| Annville Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 64 |
| Campbelltown | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Timber Hills | — | 306 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 South Annville 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 South Annville Township
Is South Annville Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Annville Township has lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #689 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (10%). 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 South Annville Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in South Annville Township since 1979, $413K in all, or 11.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (5).
Is South Annville 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 Lebanon County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in South Annville Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for South Annville 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 South Annville Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 5 paid, $365K.
Is South Annville Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and South Annville Township’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Annville Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where South Annville 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.