Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Sellersville as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sellersville gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #806 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 65 claims here since 1978.
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 Sellersville 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 Sellersville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sellersville, and Sellersville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #806 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sellersville’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, Sellersville has more expected damage per building than 78% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Sellersville: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sellersville flood? Sometimes: 65 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sellersville, from FEMA’s records: 34.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isaias13 claims · $613K
- Hurricane Ida11 claims · $761K
- Hurricane Irene8 claims · $239K
Sellersville 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.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sellersville
Disasters that paid out in Sellersville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Sellersville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida107 households applied for aid$222K aid approved11 flood claims paid for it, $761K
- 2011Hurricane Irene11 households applied for aid$8K aid approved8 flood claims paid for it, $239K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$13K aid approved7 flood claims paid that year
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 Sellersville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sellersville archive →Sellersville and its neighbors
Sellersville is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Rockhill Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| 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 Sellersville 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 Sellersville
Is Sellersville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sellersville has higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #806 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Sellersville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 65 claims in Sellersville since 1978, $2.6M in all, or 34.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (13).
Is Sellersville 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 Sellersville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sellersville’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 Sellersville?
By FEMA money that reached Sellersville, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 107 households applied for aid, $222K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 13 paid, $613K.
Is Sellersville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Sellersville’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sellersville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sellersville’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.