Natural hazards · Exeter

Exeter, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Exeter comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 295 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Exeter?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding56%Hurricanes11%Cold waves8%Tornadoes7%Everything else19%

By hazard

What Exeter faces

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

Inland flooding

56% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 Exeter flood?

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

295paid claims since 1978

$7.1Mpaid to owners

31homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Lee: 63 claims, $4.2M
Tropical Storm Ivan: 30 claims, $577K
Not a named storm: 3 claims, $5K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (7) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Exeter 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.

Disasters that hit Exeter

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ExeterDeclared for Berks County only

Berks County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Exeter

Exeter and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Birdsboromostly inland floodingModerate

Amitymostly inland floodingLow

St. Lawrencemostly inland floodingLow

Oleymostly inland floodingLow

Robesonmostly inland floodingLow

Exetermostly inland floodingLow

Lower Alsacemostly inland floodingLow

Cumrumostly inland floodingVery low

Mount Pennmostly inland floodingVery low

Alsacemostly 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. Exeter covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Exeter’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Exeter. 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 Exeter total about $6.4M 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.