Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Lower Southampton Township than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Southampton Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #291 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then earthquakes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 133 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 Southampton Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lower Southampton 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
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
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 Southampton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Southampton Township, and Lower Southampton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A #291 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lower Southampton Township’s residents live in 4 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 Southampton Township has less expected damage per building than 72% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.6M a year in losses across Lower Southampton Township: $3.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lower Southampton Township flood? Yes: 133 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Southampton Township, from FEMA’s records: 16.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Floyd14 claims · $550K
- Hurricane Irene14 claims · $438K
- Hurricane Ida9 claims · $598K
Lower Southampton 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: Bucks County.The storms Lower Southampton Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Bucks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lower Southampton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200026 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 198420 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 201116 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, 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 Southampton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lower Southampton Township archive →Lower Southampton Township and its neighbors
Lower Southampton Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Southampton Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 70 |
| Lower Southampton Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 133 |
| Northampton Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 98 |
| Middletown Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 273 |
| Bensalem Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 265 |
| Philadelphia | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1,177 |
| Trevose | — | 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 Southampton 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Southampton Township
Is Lower Southampton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Southampton Township has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #291 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and earthquakes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lower Southampton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 133 claims in Lower Southampton Township since 1978, $3.0M in all, or 16.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 21 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (14).
Is Lower Southampton 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 Southampton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lower Southampton 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 Southampton Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 14 paid, $550K.
Is Lower Southampton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Lower Southampton Township’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Southampton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lower Southampton 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.