Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Delaware Township than in 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Delaware Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, #487 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2000.
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 Delaware 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
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 Delaware Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Delaware Township, and Delaware Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 7% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #487 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Delaware Township’s residents live in 2 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, Delaware Township has less expected damage per building than 53% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Delaware Township: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Delaware Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Delaware Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $6K
Delaware 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: Pike County.The storms Delaware Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Pike County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Delaware Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20001 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Pike County
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Irene, declared for Pike County
Pike County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Delaware Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Delaware Township archive →Delaware Township and its neighbors
Delaware Township is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dingman Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Delaware Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Lehman Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sandyston Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Walpack Township | — | 4 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Porter Township | — | 393 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 Delaware 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.
- 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 Delaware Township
Is Delaware Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Delaware Township has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #487 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Delaware Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Delaware Township since 2000, $16K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Delaware 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 Pike County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Delaware Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Delaware 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 Delaware Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $6K.
Is Delaware Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Delaware Township’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Delaware Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Delaware 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.