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Wilkinson HouseWilkinson House · Photo: Smallbones · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pocopson Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Pocopson Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pocopson Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #820 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 121 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 90%Earthquakes 4%Hurricanes 3%

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

more than 57%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#820 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania
Hazard risk
C+#820 of 1,037
in Pennsylvania · higher than 57% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
121
paid since 1978 · $3.9M
Flooded more than once
25
properties · 6 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood claims per home
107 per 1,000
more than 96% of U.S. towns

What stands out about Pocopson Township’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

121 paid flood claims since 1978$3.9M in all; 25 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 96% of U.S. towns.Remembers 199923 flood claims were paid for 1999 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Pocopson 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

90%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hurricanes Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hail Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Pocopson Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pocopson Township, and Pocopson Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Pocopson Township sits
Pocopson Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #820 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Pocopson Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Earthquakes4%Hurricanes3%Everything else4%

The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pocopson Township has more expected damage per building than 79% of Pennsylvania towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Pocopson Township: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Pocopson Township’s 4,455 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Pocopson Township flood? Yes: 121 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pocopson Township, from FEMA’s records: 106.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 11 claims1979: 11 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 1 claim1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 3 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 13 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 23 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 23 claims2004: 9 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 3 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 8 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 6 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 7 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199619992003
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Floyd21 claims · $725K
  • Hurricane Irene8 claims · $782K
121
paid claims since 1978
$3.9M
paid to owners
25
homes flooded more than once
$32K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (6)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Pocopson 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.
Disasters

The storms Pocopson Township remembers

None of the 21 disasters declared for Chester County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pocopson Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 199923 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations, declared for Chester County
  2. 200323 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storms Henri and Isabel and Related Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Chester County
  3. 199613 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Chester County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Pocopson TownshipChester County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Pocopson Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Pocopson Township archive →
Next door

Pocopson Township and its neighbors

Pocopson Township is 7th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

West Bradford Township: hazard risk APennsbury Township: hazard risk A−East Bradford Township: hazard risk B+Birmingham Township: hazard risk A−East Marlborough Township: hazard risk A−Newlin Township: hazard risk A−West Bradford TownshipPennsbury TownshipEast Bradford TownshipBirmingham TownshipEast Marlborough TownshipNewlin TownshipPocopson Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
West Bradford TownshipAless damage than 95%river and rain flooding11
Pennsbury TownshipA−less damage than 85%river and rain flooding8
East Marlborough TownshipA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding4
Newlin TownshipA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding12
Birmingham TownshipA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding10
East Bradford TownshipB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding126
Pocopson TownshipC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding121

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Pocopson 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Pocopson Township

Is Pocopson Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pocopson Township has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #820 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Pocopson Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 121 claims in Pocopson Township since 1978, $3.9M in all, or 106.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 25 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (21).

Is Pocopson 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 Pocopson Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pocopson 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 Pocopson Township?

By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 21 paid, $725K.

Is Pocopson Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Pocopson Township’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pocopson Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pocopson 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.