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 4.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Perkasie as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Perkasie gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #715 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 44 claims here since 1984.
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 Perkasie 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.
What’s behind Perkasie’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Perkasie, and Perkasie’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #715 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Perkasie’s residents live in 2 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, Perkasie has more expected damage per building than 69% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Perkasie: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Perkasie flood? Sometimes: 44 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Perkasie, from FEMA’s records: 11.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida16 claims · $1.5M
- Hurricane Isaias5 claims · $700K
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $131K
Perkasie 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Perkasie
Disasters that paid out in Perkasie itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Perkasie), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida176 households applied for aid$297K aid approved16 flood claims paid for it, $1.5M
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene14 households applied for aid$20K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $131K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides12 households applied for aid$13K aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan1 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
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 Perkasie after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Perkasie archive →Perkasie and its neighbors
Perkasie is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltown Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| East Rockhill Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Perkasie | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Sellersville | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 65 |
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 Perkasie 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 Perkasie
Is Perkasie at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Perkasie has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #715 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Perkasie flood?
Flood insurance has paid 44 claims in Perkasie since 1984, $3.6M in all, or 11.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (16).
Is Perkasie 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 Perkasie?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Perkasie’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 Perkasie?
By FEMA money that reached Perkasie, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 176 households applied for aid, $297K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 16 paid, $1.5M.
Is Perkasie at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Perkasie’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Perkasie.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Perkasie’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.