Photo: Ii2nmd · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Lower Merion Township than in 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Merion Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #471 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 234 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 Merion Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lower Merion 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
Earthquakes
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 Merion Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Merion Township, and Lower Merion Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 7% (higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #471 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lower Merion Township’s residents live in 17 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 Merion Township has less expected damage per building than 55% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $25.9M a year in losses across Lower Merion Township: $18.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lower Merion Township flood? Yes: 234 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Merion Township, from FEMA’s records: 9.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida24 claims · $1.7M
- Tropical Storm Lee18 claims · $506K
Lower Merion 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 Lower Merion Township remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lower Merion Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200440 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Montgomery County
- 200932 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 201125 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, 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 Lower Merion Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lower Merion Township archive →Lower Merion Township and its neighbors
Lower Merion Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radnor Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 103 |
| Haverford Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 139 |
| Lower Merion Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 234 |
| Upper Merion Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 93 |
| Whitemarsh Township | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 290 |
| Philadelphia | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1,177 |
| West Conshohocken | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Conshohocken | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 106 |
| Bala Cynwyd | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Penn Wynne | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Bryn Mawr | — | 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 Merion 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Lower Merion Township
Is Lower Merion Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Merion Township has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #471 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and earthquakes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lower Merion Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 234 claims in Lower Merion Township since 1978, $5.7M in all, or 9.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 37 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (24).
Is Lower Merion 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 Lower Merion Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lower Merion 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 Lower Merion Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 24 paid, $1.7M.
Is Lower Merion Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Lower Merion Township’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Merion Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lower Merion 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.