Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Lower Salford Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Salford Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #312 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1984.
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 Lower Salford 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 Salford Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Salford Township, and Lower Salford Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 6% (higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts).
A #312 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lower Salford 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, Lower Salford Township has less expected damage per building than 70% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.8M a year in losses across Lower Salford Township: $3.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lower Salford Township flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Salford Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida3 claims · $14K
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $88K
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $4K
Lower Salford 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 Salford Township remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lower Salford Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19843 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20113 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Montgomery County
- 20213 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 Lower Salford Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lower Salford Township archive →Lower Salford Township and its neighbors
Lower Salford Township is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skippack Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 97 |
| Franconia Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lower Salford Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Upper Salford Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Perkiomen Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 104 |
| 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 Lower Salford 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 Salford Township
Is Lower Salford Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Salford Township has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #312 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and earthquakes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lower Salford Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Lower Salford Township since 1984, $201K in all, or 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (3).
Is Lower Salford 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 Salford Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lower Salford 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 Salford Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 3 paid, $14K.
Is Lower Salford Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Lower Salford Township’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Salford Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lower Salford 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.