Photo: Jack Boucher · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Andalusia
Andalusia isn’t graded for hazard risk: Andalusia is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 1978.
What Andalusia 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
Earthquakes
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 Andalusia flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Andalusia, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene5 claims · $123K
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $8K
Andalusia isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bucks County.The storms Andalusia remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Bucks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Andalusia itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20219 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Bucks County
- 20115 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Bucks County
- 20043 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Bucks County
Bucks County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Andalusia after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Andalusia archive →Andalusia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bensalem Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 265 |
| Philadelphia | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1,177 |
| Cornwells Heights | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Andalusia 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Andalusia
Does Andalusia flood?
Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Andalusia since 1978, $459K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (5).
Is Andalusia 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 Bucks County, 49% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Andalusia?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Andalusia’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 Andalusia?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 5 paid, $123K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Andalusia.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Andalusia’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.