Douglass’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Douglass comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 47 claims here since 1979.
What stands out about Douglass’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
The storms Douglass remembers
None of the disasters declared for Berks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Douglass itself in FEMA’s records.
- 200613 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 197910 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Berks County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Douglass after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Douglass archive →How exposed is Douglass?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 35% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,414 of the 2,558 Pennsylvania towns we cover.
Douglass is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Douglass faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Hurricanes
Cold waves
Tornadoes
Does Douglass flood? Sometimes: 47 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Douglass, from FEMA’s records.
- The Not a named storm10 claims · $15K
- Tropical Storm Lee4 claims · $211K
- Hurricane Isaias3 claims · $41K
Douglass 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.Get ready for what Douglass 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.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- 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.
Douglass and its neighbors
Douglass ranks 3rd calmest of 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Pottsgrove | Moderate | inland flooding | 6 |
| Union | Moderate | inland flooding | 30 |
| Amity | Low | inland flooding | 61 |
| Douglass | Low | inland flooding | 47 |
| Earl | Low | inland flooding | 45 |
| Colebrookdale | Very low | inland flooding | 12 |
| Upper Pottsgrove | Very low | inland flooding | 1 |
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 July–September
The month each of Berks County’s 20 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 Douglass’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Douglass.
- 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.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Douglass.
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.