Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Milford Township than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Milford Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). Flood insurance has paid 25 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 Milford Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Milford 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
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 Milford Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Milford Township, and Milford Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Milford Township’s residents live in 2 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, Milford Township has less expected damage per building than 83% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Milford Township: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Milford Township flood? Sometimes: 25 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Milford Township, from FEMA’s records: 6.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene3 claims · $39K
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $2K
- Hurricane Isaias1 claim · $2K
Milford 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 Milford Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Bucks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Milford Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19964 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, Severe Storms, declared for Bucks County
- 20114 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Bucks County
- 20193 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Milford Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Milford Township archive →Milford Township and its neighbors
Milford Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 7 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milford Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| West Rockhill Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Lower Milford Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Richland Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| Upper Hanover Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Springfield Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Marlborough Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
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 Milford 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.
- 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 Milford Township
Is Milford Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Milford Township has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #175 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and earthquakes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Milford Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 25 claims in Milford Township since 1978, $286K in all, or 6.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (3).
Is Milford 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 Milford Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Milford 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 Milford Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 3 paid, $39K.
Is Milford Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Milford Township’s rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Milford Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Milford 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.