Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Marlborough Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marlborough Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #762 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 52 claims here since 1979.
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 Marlborough 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 Marlborough Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Marlborough Township, and Marlborough Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #762 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Marlborough Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Marlborough Township has more expected damage per building than 73% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Marlborough Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Marlborough Township flood? Sometimes: 52 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Marlborough Township, from FEMA’s records: 37.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida12 claims · $1.5M
- Hurricane Isaias8 claims · $395K
- Hurricane Irene5 claims · $153K
Marlborough 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 Marlborough Township remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Marlborough Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 202112 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Montgomery County
- 20208 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19965 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Fran, 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 Marlborough Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Marlborough Township archive →Marlborough Township and its neighbors
Marlborough Township is 7th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salford Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Milford Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| West Rockhill Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Upper Frederick Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Upper Salford Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Upper Hanover Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Marlborough Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
| Green Lane | — | 511 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Woxall | — | 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 Marlborough 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 Marlborough Township
Is Marlborough Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marlborough Township has higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #762 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Marlborough Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 52 claims in Marlborough Township since 1979, $2.2M in all, or 37.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 10 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (12).
Is Marlborough 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 Marlborough Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Marlborough 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 Marlborough Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 12 paid, $1.5M.
Is Marlborough Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Marlborough Township’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marlborough Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Marlborough 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.