Photo: USGS · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Peach Bottom Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Peach Bottom Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #717 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then hurricanes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 7 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 Peach Bottom 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
Hurricanes
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 Peach Bottom Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Peach Bottom Township, and Peach Bottom Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 14% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #717 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Peach Bottom Township’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, Peach Bottom Township has more expected damage per building than 69% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Peach Bottom Township: $946K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Peach Bottom Township flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Peach Bottom Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $5K
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $2K
Peach Bottom 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: York County.The storms Peach Bottom Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for York County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Peach Bottom Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19842 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20032 flood claims paidThe year of Snow, declared for York County
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
York County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Peach Bottom Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Peach Bottom Township archive →Peach Bottom Township and its neighbors
Peach Bottom Township is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fawn Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Fulton Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Drumore Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Lower Chanceford Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Peach Bottom Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Susquehanna Trails | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Delta | — | 807 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Peach Bottom 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.
- 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.
- 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 Peach Bottom Township
Is Peach Bottom Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Peach Bottom Township has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #717 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and hurricanes (14%). 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.
Does Peach Bottom Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Peach Bottom Township since 1979, $68K in all, or 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1).
Is Peach Bottom 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 York County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Peach Bottom Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Peach Bottom 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 Peach Bottom Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1 paid, $5K.
Is Peach Bottom Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Peach Bottom Township’s rate for it is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Peach Bottom Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Peach Bottom 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.