Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Lansdale than in 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lansdale gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #194 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then earthquakes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1993.
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 Lansdale 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
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 Lansdale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lansdale, and Lansdale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 12% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
A #194 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lansdale’s residents live in 6 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, Lansdale has less expected damage per building than 81% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Lansdale: $2.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lansdale flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lansdale, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $11K
- Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $17K
Lansdale 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lansdale
Disasters that paid out in Lansdale itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Lansdale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida222 households applied for aid$260K aid approved
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene63 households applied for aid$93K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $11K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan7 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
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 Lansdale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lansdale archive →Lansdale and its neighbors
Lansdale is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| Lansdale | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Hatfield Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Upper Gwynedd Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Towamencin Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Montgomeryville | — | 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 Lansdale 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.
- 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 Lansdale
Is Lansdale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lansdale has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #194 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and earthquakes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lansdale flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Lansdale since 1993, $80K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Lansdale 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 Lansdale?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lansdale’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 Lansdale?
By FEMA money that reached Lansdale, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 222 households applied for aid, $260K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $11K.
Is Lansdale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Lansdale’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lansdale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lansdale’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.