Benjamin Taylor Homestead · Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Lower Makefield Township faces less hazard damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Makefield Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #604 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 186 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 Lower Makefield Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lower Makefield 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 Lower Makefield Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Makefield Township, and Lower Makefield Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
B #604 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lower Makefield Township’s residents live in 7 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, Lower Makefield Township has more expected damage per building than 58% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.7M a year in losses across Lower Makefield Township: $9.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lower Makefield Township flood? Yes: 186 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Makefield Township, from FEMA’s records: 14.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Torrential rain22 claims · $855K
- Tropical Storm Ivan17 claims · $648K
- Tropical Storm Lee16 claims · $329K
Lower Makefield Township is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Bucks County.The storms Lower Makefield Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Bucks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lower Makefield Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200544 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Bucks County
- 200641 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Bucks County
- 199625 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, Severe Storms, declared for Bucks County
Bucks County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Lower Makefield Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lower Makefield Township archive →Lower Makefield Township and its neighbors
Lower Makefield Township is 4th of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newtown Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Middletown Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 273 |
| Falls Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 117 |
| Lower Makefield Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 186 |
| Upper Makefield Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 300 |
| Morrisville | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Ewing Township | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 375 |
| Trenton | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 830 |
| Yardley | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 704 |
| Woodbourne | — | 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 Lower Makefield 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.
- Lower Makefield Township residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Lower Makefield Township
Is Lower Makefield Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Makefield Township has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #604 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lower Makefield Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 186 claims in Lower Makefield Township since 1978, $5.4M in all, or 14.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 53 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (22).
Is Lower Makefield 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 Bucks County, 49% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lower Makefield Township?
Lower Makefield Township is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Lower Makefield Township?
By flood claims, Torrential rain: 22 paid, $855K.
Is Lower Makefield Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Lower Makefield Township’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Makefield Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lower Makefield 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.