Photo: Badagnani · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Upper Allen Township than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Allen Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #277 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 34 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 Upper Allen Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Upper Allen 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 Upper Allen Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Upper Allen Township, and Upper Allen Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 12% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
A #277 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Upper Allen Township’s residents live in 5 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, Upper Allen Township has less expected damage per building than 73% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Upper Allen Township: $3.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Upper Allen Township flood? Sometimes: 34 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Upper Allen Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Upper Allen 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: Cumberland County.The storms Upper Allen Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cumberland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Upper Allen Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201114 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Cumberland County
- 197910 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cumberland County has had 15 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 Upper Allen Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Upper Allen Township archive →Upper Allen Township and its neighbors
Upper Allen Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Upper Allen Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Mechanicsburg | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Monaghan Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Fairview Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 125 |
| Monroe Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 346 |
| Lower Allen Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 87 |
| Messiah College | — | 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 Upper Allen 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 Upper Allen Township
Is Upper Allen Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Allen Township has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #277 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and hurricanes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Upper Allen Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 34 claims in Upper Allen Township since 1978, $152K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Upper Allen 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 Cumberland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Upper Allen Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Upper Allen Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Upper Allen Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Upper Allen Township’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Upper Allen Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Upper Allen 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.