Natural hazards · Centre

Centre, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Centre comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Centre?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Centre to be higher than in 37% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding59%Hurricanes10%Cold waves7%Drought5%Everything else19%

By hazard

What Centre faces

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

Inland flooding

59% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 18 years in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Drought

5% of expected damage

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Centre flood?

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

11paid claims since 1979

$55Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 1 claim, $2K
Tropical Storm Lee: 1 claim, $5K

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. Centre 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 Centre

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into CentreDeclared for Berks County only

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

Around Centre

Centre and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Leesportmostly inland floodingModerate

Centremostly inland floodingLow

Ontelauneemostly inland floodingLow

Perrymostly inland floodingLow

Shoemakersvillemostly inland floodingLow

Pennmostly inland floodingLow

Upper Bernmostly inland floodingLow

Tildenmostly inland floodingLow

Bernmostly 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. Centre covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Centre’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Centre. 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 Centre total about $1.4M 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.