Natural hazards · Richmond

Richmond, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Richmond comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Richmond?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Richmond to be higher than in 25% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding58%Hurricanes10%Drought9%Everything else23%

By hazard

What Richmond faces

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

Inland flooding

58% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 42% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Drought

9% of expected damage

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Richmond flood?

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

30paid claims since 1979

$260Kpaid to owners

3homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 10 claims, $15K
Hurricane Isaias: 3 claims, $82K
Hurricane Ida: 2 claims, $56K

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. Richmond 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 Richmond

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into RichmondDeclared for Berks County only

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

Around Richmond

Richmond and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Greenwichmostly inland floodingLow

Maidencreekmostly inland floodingLow

Perrymostly inland floodingLow

Fleetwoodmostly inland floodingLow

Richmondmostly inland floodingLow

Maxatawnymostly inland floodingVery low

Rocklandmostly inland floodingVery low

Ruscombmanormostly 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. Richmond covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Richmond’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Richmond. 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 Richmond total about $1.5M 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.