Photo: Smallbones at en.wikipedia · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Oxford than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oxford gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #135 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%). 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 Oxford 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
Hurricanes
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 Oxford’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oxford, and Oxford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 9% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).
A #135 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oxford’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, Oxford has less expected damage per building than 87% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Oxford: $696K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oxford flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Oxford. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Oxford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Chester County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oxford
Disasters that paid out in Oxford itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Oxford), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida66 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee3 households applied for aid$727 aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene6 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$179 aid approved
- 2003Tropical Storms Henri and Isabel and Related Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Chester County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Oxford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oxford archive →Oxford and its neighbors
Oxford 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Lower Oxford Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| East Nottingham Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Oxford 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Oxford
Is Oxford at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oxford has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #135 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and earthquakes (9%). 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 Oxford 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 Chester County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oxford?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oxford’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 Oxford?
By FEMA money that reached Oxford, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 66 households applied for aid, $15K approved.
Is Oxford at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Oxford’s rate for it is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oxford.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oxford’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.