Lazaretto, The · Public domainFor coastal flooding, Tinicum Township’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tinicum Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #757 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then coastal flooding (24%). Flood insurance has paid 309 claims here since 1979.
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 Tinicum Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Tinicum 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
Coastal 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 Tinicum Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tinicum Township, and Tinicum Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 24%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #757 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tinicum Township’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, Tinicum Township has more expected damage per building than 73% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Tinicum Township: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tinicum Township flood? Yes: 309 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tinicum Township, from FEMA’s records: 161.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan49 claims · $3.4M
- Hurricane Floyd30 claims · $244K
- The Torrential rain14 claims · $647K
Tinicum 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: Delaware County.The storms Tinicum Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Delaware County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Tinicum Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200573 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 200663 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 200450 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Delaware County
Delaware County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Tinicum Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tinicum Township archive →Tinicum Township and its neighbors
Tinicum Township is 7th of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folcroft | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Ridley Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 85 |
| Norwood | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Prospect Park | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| West Deptford Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 103 |
| Philadelphia | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1,177 |
| Tinicum Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 309 |
| Paulsboro | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Greenwich Township | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 48 |
| Thorofare | — | 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 Tinicum 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Tinicum Township
Is Tinicum Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tinicum Township has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #757 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and coastal flooding (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Tinicum Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 309 claims in Tinicum Township since 1979, $12.5M in all, or 161.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 74 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (49).
Is Tinicum 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 Delaware County, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Tinicum Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tinicum 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 Tinicum Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 49 paid, $3.4M.
Is Tinicum Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Tinicum Township’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tinicum Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tinicum 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.