Fischtner Covered Bridge · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Londonderry Township than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Londonderry Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 561 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
What stands out about Londonderry Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Londonderry 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
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 Londonderry Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Londonderry Township, and Londonderry Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Londonderry Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $814K a year in losses across Londonderry Township: $700K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Londonderry Township flood? Yes: 561 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Londonderry Township, from FEMA’s records: 710.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee161 claims · $6.1M
- Tropical Storm Ivan122 claims · $3.0M
Londonderry 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: Bedford County.The storms Londonderry Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Bedford County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Londonderry Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2011176 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Bedford County
- 1996147 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, Severe Storms, declared for Bedford County
- 2004127 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Bedford County
Bedford County has had 16 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.
Old photos of Londonderry Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Londonderry Township archive →Londonderry Township and its neighbors
Londonderry Township is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland Valley Township | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Londonderry Township | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 561 |
| Southampton Township | — | 601 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Juniata Township | — | 776 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Harrison Township | — | 977 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Fairhope Township | — | 86 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 Londonderry 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.
- 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 Londonderry Township
Is Londonderry Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Londonderry Township has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Londonderry Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 561 claims in Londonderry Township since 1978, $12.6M in all, or 710.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 105 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (161).
Is Londonderry 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 Bedford County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Londonderry Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Londonderry 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 Londonderry Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 161 paid, $6.1M.
Is Londonderry Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Londonderry Township’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Londonderry Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Londonderry 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.