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 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Oreland
Oreland isn’t graded for hazard risk: Oreland is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 47 claims here since 1980.
What Oreland 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.
Does Oreland flood? Sometimes: 47 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oreland, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Allison13 claims · $49K
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $18K
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $11K
Oreland 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 Oreland remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oreland itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199613 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Fran, declared for Montgomery County
- 200113 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Allison, declared for Montgomery County
- 19933 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Snowfall and Winter Storm, declared for Montgomery County
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 Oreland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oreland archive →Oreland and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abington Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 295 |
| Upper Dublin Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 180 |
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 Oreland 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 Oreland
Does Oreland flood?
Flood insurance has paid 47 claims in Oreland since 1980, $348K in all. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Allison (13).
Is Oreland 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 Oreland?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oreland’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 Oreland?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Allison: 13 paid, $49K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oreland.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oreland’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.