Photo: Smallbones · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Bristol Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bristol Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #740 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 292 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Bristol Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Bristol 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
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.
What’s behind Bristol Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bristol Township, and Bristol Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #740 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bristol Township’s residents live in 12 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bristol Township has more expected damage per building than 71% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $16.8M a year in losses across Bristol Township: $12.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bristol Township flood? Yes: 292 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bristol Township, from FEMA’s records: 13.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Floyd36 claims · $1.6M
- Hurricane Irene20 claims · $924K
- Hurricane Ida10 claims · $299K
Bristol 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: Bucks County.The storms Bristol Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Bucks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bristol Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 202166 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Bucks County
- 199940 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations, declared for Bucks County
- 201137 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, 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 Bristol Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bristol Township archive →Bristol Township and its neighbors
Bristol Township is 4th of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middletown Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 273 |
| Bensalem Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 265 |
| Falls Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 117 |
| Bristol Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 292 |
| Tullytown | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Burlington Township | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Bristol | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Florence Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Burlington | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 161 |
| Croydon | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Levittown | — | 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 Bristol 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.
- 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 Bristol Township
Is Bristol Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bristol Township has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #740 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and earthquakes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bristol Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 292 claims in Bristol Township since 1978, $7.6M in all, or 13.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 25 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (36).
Is Bristol 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 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 Bristol Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bristol Township’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 Bristol Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 36 paid, $1.6M.
Is Bristol Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Bristol Township’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bristol Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bristol 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.