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Natural hazards · Derry

Derry, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Derry comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 181 claims here since 1978.

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

How exposed is Derry?

22
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Derry to be higher than in 22% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding64%Hurricanes11%Tornadoes6%Everything else18%
By hazard

What Derry faces

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

Inland flooding

64% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

11% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce 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 Derry flood?

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

181paid claims since 1978
$4.3Mpaid to owners
24homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Tropical Storm Lee: 30 claims, $1.5M
  • Tropical Storm Ivan: 28 claims, $748K
  • Not a named storm: 18 claims, $50K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Derry isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dauphin County.
Disasters that hit Derry

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into DerryDeclared for Dauphin County only
Dauphin County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.
Around Derry

Derry and the towns around it

East Hanover: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSouth Hanover: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLower Swatara: Low, mostly inland floodingHummelstown: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSwatara: Low, mostly inland floodingPalmyra: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorth Londonderry: Low, mostly inland floodingConewago: Very low, mostly inland floodingLondonderry: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRush: High, mostly inland floodingEast Hanover: Low, mostly inland floodingMiddle Paxton: High, mostly inland floodingLower Paxton: Low, mostly inland floodingWest Hanover: Low, mostly inland floodingHighspire: Very high, mostly inland floodingMiddletown: High, mostly inland floodingFairview: Low, mostly inland floodingSteelton: High, mostly inland floodingNewberry: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPaxtang: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNew Cumberland: Very high, mostly inland floodingHarrisburg: High, mostly inland floodingSusquehanna: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorth Annville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSouth Annville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSouth Londonderry: Low, mostly inland floodingMount Joy: Low, mostly inland floodingConoy: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWest Donegal: Low, mostly inland floodingGoldsboro: High, mostly inland floodingRoyalton: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDerry: Low, mostly inland flooding DerryEast HanoverSouth HanoverLower SwataraHummelstownSwataraPalmyraNorth LondonderryConewagoLondonderry
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Hummelstownmostly inland floodingModerate
Londonderrymostly inland floodingModerate
South Hanovermostly inland floodingModerate
East Hanovermostly inland floodingModerate
North Londonderrymostly inland floodingLow
Swataramostly inland floodingLow
Lower Swataramostly inland floodingLow
Derrymostly inland floodingLow
Conewagomostly inland floodingVery low
Palmyramostly 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. Derry covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Derry’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Derry. 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 Derry total about $6.7M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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