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Natural hazards · West Hempfield

West Hempfield, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in West Hempfield comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 25 claims here since 1978.

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

How exposed is West Hempfield?

35
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in West Hempfield to be higher than in 35% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding63%Hurricanes14%Cold waves6%Everything else17%
By hazard

What West Hempfield faces

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

Inland flooding

63% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

14% 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 Hempfield flood?

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

25paid claims since 1978
$248Kpaid to owners
3homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 3 claims, $3K
  • Tropical Storm Lee: 2 claims, $86K
  • Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 claim, $879

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. West Hempfield 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 Hempfield

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into West HempfieldDeclared for Lancaster County only
Lancaster County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.
Around West Hempfield

West Hempfield and the towns around it

Rapho: Moderate, mostly inland floodingColumbia: Low, mostly inland floodingHellam: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEast Hempfield: Low, mostly inland floodingMountville: Very low, mostly inland floodingWrightsville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEast Donegal: Low, mostly inland floodingManor: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMarietta: High, mostly inland floodingMount Joy: Low, mostly inland floodingPenn: Moderate, mostly inland floodingManheim: Very high, mostly inland floodingMount Joy: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEast Manchester: Very low, mostly inland floodingLower Windsor: Low, mostly inland floodingSpringettsbury: Low, mostly inland floodingConoy: Moderate, mostly inland floodingManheim: Low, mostly inland floodingEast Petersburg: Low, mostly inland floodingLancaster: High, mostly inland floodingWest Donegal: Low, mostly inland floodingConestoga: Moderate, mostly inland floodingChanceford: Low, mostly inland floodingMillersville: Low, mostly inland floodingPequea: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWest Hempfield: Low, mostly inland flooding West HempfieldRaphoColumbiaHellamEast HempfieldMountvilleWrightsvilleEast DonegalManorMarietta
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Mariettamostly inland floodingHigh
Wrightsvillemostly inland floodingModerate
Manormostly inland floodingModerate
Hellammostly inland floodingModerate
Raphomostly inland floodingModerate
West Hempfieldmostly inland floodingLow
East Hempfieldmostly inland floodingLow
East Donegalmostly inland floodingLow
Columbiamostly inland floodingLow
Mountvillemostly 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. West Hempfield covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to West Hempfield’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of West Hempfield. 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 Hempfield total about $3.8M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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