Natural hazards · Shenandoah

Shenandoah, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Shenandoah comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1978. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Shenandoah?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Shenandoah to be higher than in 14% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding62%Cold waves9%Hurricanes7%Tornadoes6%Strong wind6%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Shenandoah faces

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

Inland flooding

62% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 19 years in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 44% of U.S. places

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

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 Shenandoah flood?

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

4paid claims since 1978

$8Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Shenandoah isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Schuylkill County.

Disasters that hit Shenandoah

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into ShenandoahDeclared for Schuylkill County only

2011

Tropical Storm Lee

8 households applied for aid $12K aid approved

2006

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides

45 households applied for aid $30K aid approved

2004

Tropical Depression Ivan

15 households applied for aid $73K aid approved

Schuylkill County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Shenandoah

Shenandoah and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

West Mahanoymostly inland floodingModerate

Shenandoahmostly inland floodingVery low

Mahanoymostly 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. Shenandoah covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Shenandoah’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Borough of Shenandoah. 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 Shenandoah total about $923K 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.