Natural hazards · Albany

Albany, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Albany comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 25 claims here since 1979.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Albany?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Albany to be higher than in 42% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding65%Hurricanes12%Cold waves5%Everything else19%

By hazard

What Albany faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

65% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Cold waves

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Albany flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Albany, from FEMA’s records.

25paid claims since 1979

$166Kpaid to owners

2homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ida: 2 claims, $12K
Tropical Storm Lee: 2 claims, $27K
Hurricane Isaias: 2 claims, $7K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Albany 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.

Disasters that hit Albany

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Albany itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into AlbanyDeclared for Berks County only

Berks County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Albany

Albany and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Albanymostly inland floodingModerate

East Brunswickmostly inland floodingModerate

Lynnmostly inland floodingLow

Greenwichmostly inland floodingLow

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Albany covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Albany’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Albany. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Albany total about $1.7M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.