Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in New Britain than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Britain gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #148 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then earthquakes (10%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 New Britain 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 New Britain’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Britain, and New Britain’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A #148 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of New Britain’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, New Britain has less expected damage per building than 86% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $808K a year in losses across New Britain: $657K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does New Britain flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in New Britain. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
New Britain 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to New Britain
Disasters that paid out in New Britain itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of New Britain), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Hurricane Irene2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
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 New Britain after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the New Britain archive →New Britain and its neighbors
New Britain has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Britain | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| New Britain Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Doylestown Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
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 New Britain 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 New Britain
Is New Britain at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Britain has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #148 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and earthquakes (10%). 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.
Is New Britain 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 New Britain?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Britain’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 New Britain?
By FEMA money that reached New Britain, Hurricane Irene (2011): 2 households applied for aid, $2K approved.
Is New Britain at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and New Britain’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Britain.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where New Britain’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.