Natural hazards · Dickinson

Dickinson, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Dickinson comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1996.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Dickinson?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Dickinson to be higher than in 19% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding67%Hurricanes12%Everything else20%

By hazard

What Dickinson faces

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

Inland flooding

67% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 36% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Dickinson flood?

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

6paid claims since 1996

$54Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19962026

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. Dickinson isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Cumberland County.

Disasters that hit Dickinson

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into DickinsonDeclared for Cumberland County only

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

Around Dickinson

Dickinson and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

West Pennsboromostly inland floodingLow

Pennmostly inland floodingLow

Cookemostly inland floodingLow

South Middletonmostly inland floodingLow

Dickinsonmostly 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. Dickinson covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Dickinson’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Dickinson. 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 Dickinson total about $1.7M 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.