FEMA puts Middletown Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middletown Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #137 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%). Flood insurance has paid 41 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 Middletown Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Middletown 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
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
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 Middletown Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Middletown Township, and Middletown Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 8% (higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts).
A #137 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Middletown 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, Middletown Township has less expected damage per building than 87% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.0M a year in losses across Middletown Township: $2.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Middletown Township flood? Sometimes: 41 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Middletown Township, from FEMA’s records: 6.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Floyd9 claims · $600K
- Hurricane Irene3 claims · $39K
- Hurricane Isaias2 claims · $47K
Middletown 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: Delaware County.The storms Middletown Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Delaware County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Middletown Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19999 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations, declared for Delaware County
- 19794 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19964 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Delaware County
Delaware County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Middletown Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Middletown Township archive →Middletown Township and its neighbors
Middletown Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgmont Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Middletown Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
| Thornbury Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Upper Providence Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Aston Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| Chester Heights | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Rose Valley | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brookhaven | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Village Green-Green Ridge | — | 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 Middletown 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Middletown Township
Is Middletown Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middletown Township has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #137 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and earthquakes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Middletown Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 41 claims in Middletown Township since 1978, $1.1M in all, or 6.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (9).
Is Middletown 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 Delaware County, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Middletown Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Middletown 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 Middletown Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 9 paid, $600K.
Is Middletown Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Middletown Township’s rate for it is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Middletown Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Middletown 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.