Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, St. Lawrence faces less hazard damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Lawrence gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then hurricanes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 4 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 St. Lawrence 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 St. Lawrence’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Lawrence, and St. Lawrence’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 11% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of St. Lawrence’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $559K a year in losses across St. Lawrence: $424K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does St. Lawrence flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Lawrence, from FEMA’s records: 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
St. Lawrence 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.The storms St. Lawrence remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching St. Lawrence itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20232 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19941 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, declared for Berks County
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 St. Lawrence after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. Lawrence archive →St. Lawrence and its neighbors
St. Lawrence is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Penn | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Exeter Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 295 |
| Lower Alsace Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| St. Lawrence | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Reiffton | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Pennside | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Jacksonwald | — | 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 St. Lawrence 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 St. Lawrence
Is St. Lawrence at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Lawrence has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and hurricanes (11%). 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 St. Lawrence flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in St. Lawrence since 1979, $57K in all, or 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is St. Lawrence 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 St. Lawrence?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Lawrence’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is St. Lawrence at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and St. Lawrence’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Lawrence.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Lawrence’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.