FEMA puts Penn Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Penn Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #247 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2014.
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 Penn 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
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 Penn Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Penn Township, and Penn Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 6% (higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts).
A #247 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Penn 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, Penn Township has less expected damage per building than 76% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Penn Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Penn Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2014
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Penn Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $15K
Penn 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: Chester County.The storms Penn Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Chester County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Penn Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20141 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm, declared for Chester County
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 Penn Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Penn Township archive →Penn Township and its neighbors
Penn Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Londonderry Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lower Oxford Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Penn Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Upper Oxford Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| East Nottingham Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| New London Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| London Grove Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Penn 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.
- 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 Penn Township
Is Penn Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Penn Township has lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #247 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and earthquakes (6%). 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 Penn Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Penn Township since 2014, $15K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).
Is Penn 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 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 Penn Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Penn 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 Penn Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $15K.
Is Penn Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Penn Township’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Penn Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Penn 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.