Natural hazards · Paradise

Paradise, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Paradise comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 94 claims here since 1978. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Paradise?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Paradise to be higher than in 58% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding71%Hurricanes13%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Paradise faces

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

Inland flooding

71% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% 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 Paradise flood?

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

94paid claims since 1978

$813Kpaid to owners

17homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Lee: 9 claims, $123K
Not a named storm: 5 claims, $4K
Hurricane Floyd: 4 claims, $57K

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

Insurance rates: Lancaster County.

Disasters that hit Paradise

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Paradise itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Township of Paradise.

Brought FEMA money into ParadiseDeclared for Lancaster County only

2011

Tropical Storm Lee

1 household applied for aid

Lancaster County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Paradise

Paradise and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Paradisemostly inland floodingModerate

Bartmostly inland floodingModerate

Strasburgmostly inland floodingModerate

Leacockmostly inland floodingModerate

Salisburymostly inland floodingModerate

East Lampetermostly inland floodingLow

Edenmostly inland floodingLow

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. Paradise covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Paradise’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Paradise. 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 Paradise 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.