Nook, The · Photo: Smallbones · CC0FEMA puts Spring Garden Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spring Garden Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #521 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then hurricanes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 22 claims here since 1978.
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 Spring Garden Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Spring Garden 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
Earthquakes
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 Spring Garden Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Spring Garden Township, and Spring Garden Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 16% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #521 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Spring Garden 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, Spring Garden Township has more expected damage per building than 50% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.6M a year in losses across Spring Garden Township: $4.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Spring Garden Township flood? Sometimes: 22 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Spring Garden Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $919K
Spring Garden 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: York County.The storms Spring Garden Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for York County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Spring Garden Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19799 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19959 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
York County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Spring Garden Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Spring Garden Township archive →Spring Garden Township and its neighbors
Spring Garden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| York Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Springettsbury Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| North Codorus Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Spring Garden Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| West Manchester Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| York | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| Valley View | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Queens Gate | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Grantley | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Tyler Run | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| East York | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Spring Garden 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Spring Garden Township
Is Spring Garden Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spring Garden Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #521 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and hurricanes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Spring Garden Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 22 claims in Spring Garden Township since 1978, $1.0M in all, or 4.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (1).
Is Spring Garden 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 York County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Spring Garden Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Spring Garden 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 Spring Garden Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 1 paid, $919K.
Is Spring Garden Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Spring Garden Township’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Spring Garden Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Spring Garden 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.