Photo: Kathy · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Amwell Township than in 60% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Amwell Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #841 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2004.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Amwell Township 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.
What’s behind Amwell Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Amwell Township, and Amwell Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #841 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Amwell Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Amwell Township has more expected damage per building than 81% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Amwell Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Amwell Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Amwell Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Amwell Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washington County.The storms Amwell Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Amwell Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20182 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Washington County
- 20081 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Washington County has had 11 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.
Old photos of Amwell Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Amwell Township archive →Amwell Township and its neighbors
Amwell Township is 5th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Strabane Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| North Franklin Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| South Franklin Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| North Bethlehem Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Amwell Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| West Bethlehem Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Morris Township | — | 886 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Washington Township | — | 991 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Laboratory | — | 664 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 Amwell Township 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 Amwell Township
Is Amwell Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Amwell Township has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #841 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Amwell Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Amwell Township since 2004, $49K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Amwell Township 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 Washington County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Amwell Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Amwell Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Amwell Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Amwell Township’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Amwell Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Amwell Township’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.