Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Wormleysburg than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wormleysburg gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #998 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 84 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 Wormleysburg 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 Wormleysburg’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wormleysburg, and Wormleysburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
D #998 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Wormleysburg’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, Wormleysburg has more expected damage per building than 96% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Wormleysburg: $975K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wormleysburg flood? Sometimes: 84 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wormleysburg, from FEMA’s records: 61.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee21 claims · $1.4M
- Tropical Storm Ivan13 claims · $456K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $7K
Wormleysburg 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wormleysburg
Disasters that paid out in Wormleysburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Wormleysburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee13 households applied for aid$4K aid approved21 flood claims paid for it, $1.4M
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan3 households applied for aid$4K aid approved13 flood claims paid for it, $456K
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 Wormleysburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wormleysburg archive →Wormleysburg and its neighbors
Wormleysburg 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Pennsboro Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 134 |
| Lemoyne | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Harrisburg | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 1,516 |
| Wormleysburg | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 84 |
| West Fairview | — | 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 Wormleysburg 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 Wormleysburg
Is Wormleysburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wormleysburg has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #998 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Wormleysburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 84 claims in Wormleysburg since 1979, $2.8M in all, or 61.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (21).
Is Wormleysburg 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 Wormleysburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wormleysburg’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 Wormleysburg?
By FEMA money that reached Wormleysburg, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 13 households applied for aid, $4K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 21 paid, $1.4M.
Is Wormleysburg at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Wormleysburg’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wormleysburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wormleysburg’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.