Photo: Montgomery County Planning Commission · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Skippack Township than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Skippack Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #138 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 97 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 stands out about Skippack Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Skippack 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
Tornadoes
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 Skippack Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Skippack Township, and Skippack Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 6% (higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts).
A #138 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Skippack Township’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, Skippack Township has less expected damage per building than 87% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.8M a year in losses across Skippack Township: $2.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Skippack Township flood? Sometimes: 97 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Skippack Township, from FEMA’s records: 22.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene12 claims · $554K
- Hurricane Ida11 claims · $1.6M
- Hurricane Isaias10 claims · $415K
Skippack 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: Montgomery County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Skippack Township
Disasters that paid out in Skippack Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Skippack Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida3 households applied for aid$300 aid approved11 flood claims paid for it, $1.6M
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$986 aid approved
Montgomery County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Skippack Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Skippack Township archive →Skippack Township and its neighbors
Skippack Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skippack Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 97 |
| Lower Providence Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 171 |
| Worcester Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Lower Salford Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Upper Salford Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Perkiomen Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 104 |
| Evansburg | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Skippack 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Skippack Township
Is Skippack Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Skippack Township has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #138 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and earthquakes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Skippack Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 97 claims in Skippack Township since 1978, $3.3M in all, or 22.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 15 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (12).
Is Skippack 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 Montgomery County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Skippack Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Skippack 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 Skippack Township?
By FEMA money that reached Skippack Township, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 1 households applied for aid, $986 approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 12 paid, $554K.
Is Skippack Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Skippack Township’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Skippack Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Skippack 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.