Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in New Hanover Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Hanover Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #696 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 52 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 New Hanover 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 New Hanover Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Hanover Township, and New Hanover Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
B #696 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
New Hanover Township’s residents live in 3 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, New Hanover Township has more expected damage per building than 67% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.8M a year in losses across New Hanover Township: $3.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does New Hanover Township flood? Sometimes: 52 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in New Hanover Township, from FEMA’s records: 10.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isaias8 claims · $85K
- Hurricane Floyd3 claims · $44K
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $19K
New Hanover 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 New Hanover Township remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching New Hanover Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201912 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20208 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20186 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 New Hanover Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the New Hanover Township archive →New Hanover Township and its neighbors
New Hanover 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Pottsgrove Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Limerick Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Upper Frederick Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Upper Hanover Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Douglass Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Lower Pottsgrove Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| New Hanover Township | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
| Pottsgrove | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Gilbertsville | — | 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 New Hanover 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 New Hanover Township
Is New Hanover Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Hanover Township has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #696 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does New Hanover Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 52 claims in New Hanover Township since 1978, $1.1M in all, or 10.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (8).
Is New Hanover 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 New Hanover Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Hanover 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 New Hanover Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 8 paid, $85K.
Is New Hanover Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and New Hanover Township’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Hanover Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where New Hanover 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.