On FEMA’s figures, South Hanover 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 Hanover Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #761 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 106 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 stands out about South Hanover Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What South Hanover 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 Hanover Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in South Hanover Township, and South Hanover Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #761 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of South Hanover 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 Hanover Township has more expected damage per building than 73% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across South Hanover Township: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does South Hanover Township flood? Yes: 106 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in South Hanover Township, from FEMA’s records: 36.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee32 claims · $4.5M
- Tropical Storm Ivan12 claims · $381K
South Hanover 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: Dauphin County.The storms South Hanover Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Dauphin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching South Hanover Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201139 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Dauphin County
- 200616 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Dauphin County
- 200412 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Dauphin County
Dauphin County has had 17 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 Hanover Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the South Hanover Township archive →South Hanover Township and its neighbors
South Hanover 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derry Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 181 |
| Swatara Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 312 |
| West Hanover Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Lower Paxton Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| East Hanover Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
| South Hanover Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 106 |
| Hummelstown | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 56 |
| Hershey | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Union Deposit | — | 808 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 Hanover 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 Hanover Township
Is South Hanover Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Hanover Township has higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #761 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and hurricanes (8%). 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 Hanover Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 106 claims in South Hanover Township since 1979, $6.6M in all, or 36.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 19 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (32).
Is South Hanover 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 Dauphin County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in South Hanover Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for South Hanover 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 Hanover Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 32 paid, $4.5M.
Is South Hanover Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and South Hanover Township’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Hanover Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where South Hanover 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.