Conestoga’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Conestoga comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 55 claims here since 1978. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Conestoga’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Conestoga flood? Sometimes: 55 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Conestoga, from FEMA’s records.
- The Not a named storm5 claims · $13K
- Hurricane Floyd4 claims · $22K
- Tropical Storm Lee3 claims · $66K
Conestoga isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lancaster County.How exposed is Conestoga?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 51% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.
Rated higher than 1,570 of the 2,558 Pennsylvania towns we cover.
Conestoga covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
What Conestoga faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Hurricanes
2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Conestoga
Disasters that paid out in Conestoga itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Township of Conestoga) and its biggest flood years.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee14 households applied for aid$57K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 197814 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
Lancaster County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.
Old photos of Conestoga after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Conestoga archive →Get ready for what Conestoga actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- 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.
Conestoga and its neighbors
Conestoga ranks 5th calmest of 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conestoga | Moderate | inland flooding | 55 |
| Pequea | Moderate | inland flooding | 18 |
| Manor | Moderate | inland flooding | 133 |
| Martic | Moderate | inland flooding | 40 |
| Lower Chanceford | Low | inland flooding | 23 |
| Chanceford | Low | inland flooding | 18 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in January–February
The month each of Lancaster County’s 19 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Conestoga’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Conestoga.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Conestoga, expected losses total about $1.2M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Conestoga.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.