Photo: Montgomery County Planning Commission · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Franconia Township faces less hazard damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franconia Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2018.
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 Franconia 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
Tornadoes
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 Franconia Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Franconia Township, and Franconia Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 5% (lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts).
A #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Franconia Township’s residents live in 3 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, Franconia Township has less expected damage per building than 83% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Franconia Township: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Franconia Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2018
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Franconia Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $7K
Franconia 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: Montgomery County.The storms Franconia Township remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Franconia Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20211 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Montgomery County
Montgomery County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Franconia Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Franconia Township archive →Franconia Township and its neighbors
Franconia Township is 4th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telford | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Souderton | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Salford Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Franconia Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lower Salford Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Hatfield Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Upper Salford Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Towamencin Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Harleysville | — | 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 Franconia 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Franconia Township
Is Franconia Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franconia Township has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Franconia Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Franconia Township since 2018, $15K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (1).
Is Franconia 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 Montgomery County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Franconia Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Franconia 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 Franconia Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 1 paid, $7K.
Is Franconia Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Franconia Township’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Franconia Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Franconia 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.