Natural hazards · Berlin

Berlin, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Berlin comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1996.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Berlin?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Berlin to be higher than in 46% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding76%Cold waves8%Hurricanes6%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Berlin faces

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

Inland flooding

76% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 27 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Berlin flood?

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

2paid claims since 1996

$10Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19962026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Berlin isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Wayne County.

Disasters that hit Berlin

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BerlinDeclared for Wayne County only

Wayne County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Berlin

Berlin and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Tustenmostly inland floodingHigh

Damascusmostly inland floodingModerate

Berlinmostly inland floodingModerate

Palmyramostly inland floodingModerate

Texasmostly inland floodingModerate

Lackawaxenmostly inland floodingLow

Oregonmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Berlin covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Berlin’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Berlin. 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 Berlin total about $1.8M 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.