Photo: User:Smallbones on English Wikipedia. · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Chester Heights faces less hazard damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chester Heights gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #358 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1979.
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 Chester Heights 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
Hurricanes
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 Chester Heights’ grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chester Heights, and Chester Heights’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 6% (higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #358 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Chester Heights’ 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, Chester Heights has less expected damage per building than 66% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $835K a year in losses across Chester Heights: $660K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chester Heights flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chester Heights, from FEMA’s records: 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $85K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $24K
Chester Heights 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.The storms Chester Heights remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Delaware County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Chester Heights itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19991 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations, declared for Delaware County
- 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Delaware County
Delaware County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Chester Heights after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chester Heights archive →Chester Heights and its neighbors
Chester Heights is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concord Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Middletown Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
| Thornbury Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Aston Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| Chester Heights | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Chester Heights 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Chester Heights
Is Chester Heights at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chester Heights has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #358 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and earthquakes (6%). 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 Chester Heights flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Chester Heights since 1979, $122K in all, or 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (1).
Is Chester Heights 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, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chester Heights?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chester Heights’ 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 Chester Heights?
By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 1 paid, $85K.
Is Chester Heights at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Chester Heights’ rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chester Heights.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chester Heights’ 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.