Natural hazards · Cumberland

Cumberland, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Cumberland comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 28 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Cumberland?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Cumberland to be higher than in 25% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding65%Hurricanes13%Everything else22%

By hazard

What Cumberland 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

Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Cumberland flood?

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

28paid claims since 1978

$1.7Mpaid to owners

4homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Lee: 1 claim, $8K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Adams County.

Disasters that hit Cumberland

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into CumberlandDeclared for Adams County only

Adams County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Cumberland

Cumberland and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Freedommostly inland floodingModerate

Highlandmostly inland floodingModerate

Mount Joymostly inland floodingLow

Franklinmostly inland floodingLow

Cumberlandmostly inland floodingLow

Butlermostly inland floodingVery low

Strabanmostly inland floodingVery low

Gettysburgmostly 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. Cumberland covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Cumberland’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Cumberland. 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 Cumberland total about $2.4M 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.