Natural hazards · West Donegal

West Donegal, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in West Donegal comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2011.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is West Donegal?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in West Donegal to be higher than in 24% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding60%Hurricanes17%Cold waves6%Everything else17%

By hazard

What West Donegal faces

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

Inland flooding

60% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

17% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 40% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 West Donegal flood?

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

2paid claims since 2011

$49Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20112026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Lee: 1 claim, $47K
Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $3K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. West Donegal 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 West Donegal

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into West DonegalDeclared for Lancaster County only

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

Around West Donegal

West Donegal and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Londonderrymostly inland floodingModerate

Conoymostly inland floodingModerate

Elizabethtownmostly inland floodingLow

East Donegalmostly inland floodingLow

Mount Joymostly inland floodingLow

West Donegalmostly 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. West Donegal covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to West Donegal’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of West Donegal. 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 West Donegal total about $2.2M 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.