Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Wiconisco Township faces more hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wiconisco Township gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2004.
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 Wiconisco 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
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 Wiconisco Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wiconisco Township, and Wiconisco Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Wiconisco Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Wiconisco Township: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wiconisco Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wiconisco Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $9K
Wiconisco 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: Dauphin County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wiconisco Township
Disasters that paid out in Wiconisco Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Wiconisco Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee16 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan13 households applied for aid$25K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $9K
Dauphin County has had 17 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 Wiconisco Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wiconisco Township archive →Wiconisco Township and its neighbors
Wiconisco Township is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Jackson Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Williams Township | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 117 |
| Lykens | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 64 |
| Wiconisco Township | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Wiconsico | — | 734 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lykens Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Wiconisco 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.
- 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 Wiconisco Township
Is Wiconisco Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wiconisco Township has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Wiconisco Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Wiconisco Township since 2004, $13K in all, or 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (1).
Is Wiconisco 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 Dauphin County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wiconisco Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wiconisco 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 Wiconisco Township?
By FEMA money that reached Wiconisco Township, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 13 households applied for aid, $25K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 paid, $9K.
Is Wiconisco Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Wiconisco Township’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wiconisco Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wiconisco 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.