Photo: PattiParker · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Quakertown 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, Quakertown gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #781 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 69 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 Quakertown 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
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 Quakertown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Quakertown, and Quakertown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #781 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Quakertown’s residents live in 3 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, Quakertown has more expected damage per building than 75% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Quakertown: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Quakertown flood? Sometimes: 69 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Quakertown, from FEMA’s records: 18.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida15 claims · $1.6M
- Hurricane Isaias12 claims · $1.2M
- Hurricane Irene10 claims · $419K
Quakertown 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 Quakertown
Disasters that paid out in Quakertown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Quakertown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida161 households applied for aid$459K aid approved15 flood claims paid for it, $1.6M
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee7 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene88 households applied for aid$132K aid approved10 flood claims paid for it, $419K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan19 households applied for aid$48K 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 Quakertown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Quakertown archive →Quakertown and its neighbors
Quakertown is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| Quakertown | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 69 |
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 Quakertown 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.
- 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 Quakertown
Is Quakertown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Quakertown has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #781 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and earthquakes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Quakertown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 69 claims in Quakertown since 1984, $4.6M in all, or 18.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (15).
Is Quakertown 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 Quakertown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Quakertown’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 Quakertown?
By FEMA money that reached Quakertown, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 161 households applied for aid, $459K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 15 paid, $1.6M.
Is Quakertown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Quakertown’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Quakertown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Quakertown’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.