FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Trainer than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Trainer gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then earthquakes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1989.
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 Trainer 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
Coastal 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 Trainer’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Trainer, and Trainer’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Trainer’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $625K a year in losses across Trainer: $490K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Trainer flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1989
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Trainer, from FEMA’s records: 20.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $30K
- Hurricane Isaias1 claim · $60K
Trainer 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Trainer
Disasters that paid out in Trainer itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Trainer), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida20 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene11 households applied for aid$7K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $30K
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 Trainer after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Trainer archive →Trainer and its neighbors
Trainer is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Chichester Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Trainer | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Upper Chichester Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Chester | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 148 |
| Marcus Hook | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Logan Township | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Linwood | — | 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 Trainer 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.
- 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.
- 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 Trainer
Is Trainer at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Trainer has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and earthquakes (13%). 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 Trainer flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Trainer since 1989, $355K in all, or 20.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).
Is Trainer 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 Trainer?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Trainer’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 Trainer?
By FEMA money that reached Trainer, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 20 households applied for aid, $17K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $30K.
Is Trainer at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Trainer’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Trainer.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Trainer’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.