Natural hazards · Reading

Reading, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Reading comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 88 claims here since 1978. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Reading?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Reading to be higher than in 39% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding55%Cold waves9%Hurricanes8%Earthquakes7%Tornadoes6%Heat waves5%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Reading faces

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

Inland flooding

55% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

8% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Earthquakes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Heat waves

5% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 15% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Reading flood?

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

88paid claims since 1978

$5.4Mpaid to owners

7homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 19 claims, $114K
Tropical Storm Lee: 3 claims, $37K
Hurricane Floyd: 2 claims, $2K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Reading 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 Reading

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into ReadingDeclared for Berks County only

2011

Tropical Storm Lee

164 households applied for aid $166K aid approved

2006

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides

151 households applied for aid $207K aid approved

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

Around Reading

Reading and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Readingmostly inland floodingLow

Kenhorstmostly inland floodingLow

Wyomissingmostly inland floodingLow

Muhlenbergmostly inland floodingLow

Lower Alsacemostly inland floodingLow

West Readingmostly inland floodingLow

Bernmostly inland floodingVery low

Cumrumostly inland floodingVery low

Mount Pennmostly 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. Reading covers 27 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Reading’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Reading. 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 Reading total about $20.6M 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.