Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Upper Pottsgrove Township faces less hazard damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Pottsgrove Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #213 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2006.
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 Upper Pottsgrove 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
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
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 Upper Pottsgrove Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Upper Pottsgrove Township, and Upper Pottsgrove Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts).
A #213 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Upper Pottsgrove Township’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, Upper Pottsgrove Township has less expected damage per building than 80% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Upper Pottsgrove Township: $913K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Upper Pottsgrove Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Upper Pottsgrove Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Upper Pottsgrove 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.The storms Upper Pottsgrove Township remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Upper Pottsgrove Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Montgomery County
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 Upper Pottsgrove Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Upper Pottsgrove Township archive →Upper Pottsgrove Township and its neighbors
Upper Pottsgrove Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 7 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Pottsgrove Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Douglass Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Douglass Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Lower Pottsgrove Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| New Hanover Township | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
| West Pottsgrove Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Pottstown | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 191 |
| Pottsgrove | — | 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 Upper Pottsgrove 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Upper Pottsgrove Township
Is Upper Pottsgrove Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Pottsgrove Township has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #213 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and tornadoes (6%). 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 Upper Pottsgrove Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Upper Pottsgrove Township since 2006, $14K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Upper Pottsgrove 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 Upper Pottsgrove Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Upper Pottsgrove Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Upper Pottsgrove Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Upper Pottsgrove Township’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Upper Pottsgrove Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Upper Pottsgrove 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.