Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Buckingham Township than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buckingham Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, #387 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 53 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 Buckingham Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Buckingham 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 Buckingham Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Buckingham Township, and Buckingham Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #387 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Buckingham Township’s residents live in 4 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, Buckingham Township has less expected damage per building than 63% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.9M a year in losses across Buckingham Township: $6.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Buckingham Township flood? Sometimes: 53 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Buckingham Township, from FEMA’s records: 6.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida8 claims · $347K
- Tropical Storm Lee7 claims · $117K
- Tropical Storm Ivan7 claims · $72K
Buckingham 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.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Buckingham Township
Disasters that paid out in Buckingham Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Buckingham Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved8 flood claims paid for it, $347K
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved7 flood claims paid for it, $117K
- 2011Hurricane Irene5 households applied for aid$2K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $28K
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 Buckingham Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Buckingham Township archive →Buckingham Township and its neighbors
Buckingham Township is 4th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doylestown | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Warwick Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Wrightstown Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Buckingham Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Plumstead Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 66 |
| Doylestown Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Solebury Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 199 |
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 Buckingham 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 Buckingham Township
Is Buckingham Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buckingham Township has lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #387 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and earthquakes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Buckingham Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 53 claims in Buckingham Township since 1978, $1.9M in all, or 6.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 10 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (8).
Is Buckingham 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 Buckingham Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Buckingham 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 Buckingham Township?
By FEMA money that reached Buckingham Township, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 1 households applied for aid, $4K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 8 paid, $347K.
Is Buckingham Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Buckingham Township’s rate for it is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Buckingham Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Buckingham 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.