Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Hancock
Hancock isn’t graded for hazard risk: Hancock has 745 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1996.
What Hancock faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
Does Hancock flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hancock, from FEMA’s records.
- The Torrential rain2 claims · $53K
Hancock isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Delaware County.13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hancock
Disasters that paid out in Hancock itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Hancock), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$14K to the Village of Hancock for repairs
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee6 households applied for aid$19K aid approved$11K to the Village of Hancock for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene29 households applied for aid$44K aid approved$7K to the Village of Hancock for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm$16K to the Village of Hancock for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$36K to the Village of Hancock for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding285 households applied for aid$823K aid approved$2.1M to the Village of Hancock for repairs
Show all 13
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$21K aid approved$112K to the Village of Hancock for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan26 households applied for aid$31K aid approved$22K to the Village of Hancock for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Village of Hancock for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the Village of Hancock for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes3 households applied for aid$14K aid approved$8K to the Village of Hancock for repairs
- 2003Snow$2K to the Village of Hancock for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$4K to the Village of Hancock for repairs
Delaware County has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Hancock after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hancock archive →Hancock and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 100 |
| Buckingham Township | — | 465 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Hancock faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Hancock
Does Hancock flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Hancock since 1996, $127K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (2).
Is Hancock in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Delaware County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hancock?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hancock’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Hancock?
By FEMA money that reached Hancock, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 285 households applied for aid, $823K approved, and $2.1M to the Village of Hancock for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 2 paid, $53K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hancock.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hancock’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.