Natural hazards · St. Lawrence

St. Lawrence, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in St. Lawrence comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is St. Lawrence?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in St. Lawrence to be higher than in 38% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding62%Hurricanes9%Cold waves7%Tornadoes6%Earthquakes5%Everything else11%

By hazard

What St. Lawrence 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

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

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

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 St. Lawrence flood?

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

4paid claims since 1979

$57Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 1 claim, $5K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. St. Lawrence 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 St. Lawrence

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into St. LawrenceDeclared for Berks County only

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

Around St. Lawrence

St. Lawrence and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

St. Lawrencemostly inland floodingLow

Exetermostly inland floodingLow

Lower Alsacemostly inland floodingLow

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. St. Lawrence covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to St. Lawrence’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Borough of St. Lawrence. 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 St. Lawrence total about $559K 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.