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By the River (6261999497)Photo: jpmueller99 from Shenandoah Valley of VA, USA · CC BY 2.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Delaware Township · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Delaware Township than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Delaware Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 75 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

more than 63%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Pennsylvania · higher than 63% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
85% of expected building damage
Flood claims
75
paid since 1978 · $1.0M
Flooded more than once
10
properties · 2 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood claims per home
115 per 1,000
more than 97% of U.S. towns
By hazard

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

85%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 16 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Winter storms Ice storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Delaware Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Delaware Township, and Delaware Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Delaware Township sits
Delaware Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Delaware Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding85%Hurricanes9%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $587K a year in losses across Delaware Township: $477K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Delaware Township’s 1,610 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Walker township (2,790 residents) and Thompsontown borough (631 residents) and Mexico CDP (398 residents) and East Salem CDP (169 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Delaware Township flood? Sometimes: 75 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Delaware Township, from FEMA’s records: 114.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 2 claims1979: 6 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 2 claims1984: 9 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 2 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 13 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 6 claims2000: 2 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 12 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 2 claims2011: 13 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620042011
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan10 claims · $129K
  • Tropical Storm Lee10 claims · $114K
  • Hurricane Floyd5 claims · $73K
75
paid claims since 1978
$1.0M
paid to owners
10
homes flooded more than once
$14K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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: Juniata County.
Disasters

The storms Delaware Township remembers

None of the 15 disasters declared for Juniata County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Delaware Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 199613 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Fran, declared for Juniata County
  2. 201113 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Juniata County
  3. 200412 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Juniata County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Delaware TownshipJuniata County only

Juniata County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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 →
Next door

Delaware Township and its neighbors

Delaware Township is 4th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Fayette TownshipB−less damage than 50%river and rain flooding6
Monroe TownshipC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding—
Walker TownshipC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding13
Delaware TownshipC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding75
Tuscarora TownshipCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding16
Greenwood TownshipCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding33
Greenwood Township—594 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.

Be ready

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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

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 higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and hurricanes (9%). 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 Delaware Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 75 claims in Delaware Township since 1978, $1.0M in all, or 114.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 10 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (10).

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 Juniata County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% 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, Tropical Storm Ivan: 10 paid, $129K.

Is Delaware Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Delaware Township’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Delaware Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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.