Photo: Sdwelch1031 · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Union 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, Union Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #721 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then hurricanes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 30 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 Union 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 Union Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Union Township, and Union Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #721 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Union 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, Union Township has more expected damage per building than 69% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Union Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Union Township flood? Sometimes: 30 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Union Township, from FEMA’s records: 19.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee8 claims · $110K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $25K
Union 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: Berks County.The storms Union Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Union Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200615 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Berks County
- 20118 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Berks County
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Union Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Union Township archive →Union Township and its neighbors
Union Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robeson Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 39 |
| North Coventry Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 181 |
| Douglass Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Amity Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Union Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Birdsboro | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Douglassville | — | 279 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 Union 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 Union Township
Is Union Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Township has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #721 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) 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 Union Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 30 claims in Union Township since 1978, $856K in all, or 19.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (8).
Is Union 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 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 Union Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Union 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 Union Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 8 paid, $110K.
Is Union Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Union Township’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Union Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Union 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.