Great Conewago Presbyterian Church · Photo: Smallbones · CC0FEMA puts Straban Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Straban Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #187 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then hurricanes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2011.
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 Straban 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
Tornadoes
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 Straban Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Straban Township, and Straban Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 17% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
A #187 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Straban 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, Straban Township has less expected damage per building than 82% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Straban Township: $957K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Straban Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Straban Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Straban 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: Adams County.The storms Straban Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Adams County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Straban Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Adams County
Adams County has had 16 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 Straban Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Straban Township archive →Straban Township and its neighbors
Straban Township is 2nd of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| Straban Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Tyrone Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Butler Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Cumberland Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Mount Pleasant Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Mount Joy Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Reading Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 156 |
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 Straban 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Straban Township
Is Straban Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Straban Township has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #187 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and hurricanes (17%). 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 Straban Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Straban Township since 2011, $90K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Straban 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 Adams County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Straban Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Straban Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Straban Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Straban Township’s rate for it is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Straban Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Straban 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.