Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Northampton Township than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Northampton Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #369 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 98 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 stands out about Northampton Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Northampton 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
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 Northampton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Northampton Township, and Northampton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #369 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Northampton Township’s residents live in 9 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, Northampton Township has less expected damage per building than 64% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.0M a year in losses across Northampton Township: $8.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Northampton Township flood? Sometimes: 98 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Northampton 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 Irene14 claims · $156K
- Hurricane Floyd12 claims · $444K
- Hurricane Ida8 claims · $251K
Northampton 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 Northampton Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Bucks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Northampton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201116 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Bucks County
- 199912 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations, declared for Bucks County
- 20098 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 Northampton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Northampton Township archive →Northampton Township and its neighbors
Northampton Township is 7th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Langhorne | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 60 |
| Upper Southampton Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 70 |
| Lower Southampton Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 133 |
| Newtown Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Warwick Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Wrightstown Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Northampton Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 98 |
| Middletown Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 273 |
| Richboro | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Churchville | — | 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 Northampton 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.
- 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 Northampton Township
Is Northampton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Northampton Township has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #369 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and earthquakes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Northampton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 98 claims in Northampton Township since 1979, $1.8M in all, or 6.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 15 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (14).
Is Northampton 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 Northampton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Northampton 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 Northampton Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 14 paid, $156K.
Is Northampton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Northampton Township’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Northampton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Northampton 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.