Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Westfall Township faces more hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westfall Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #1,025 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 68 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 Westfall 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
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 Westfall Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Westfall Township, and Westfall Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D #1,025 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Westfall 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, Westfall Township has more expected damage per building than 99% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Westfall Township: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Westfall Township flood? Sometimes: 68 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Westfall Township, from FEMA’s records: 41.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan5 claims · $65K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $4K
- The Torrential rain1 claim · $214
Westfall 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: Pike County.The storms Westfall Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Pike County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Westfall Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200632 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Pike County
- 200525 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Pike County
- 20045 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Pike County
Pike County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Westfall Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Westfall Township archive →Westfall Township and its neighbors
Westfall Township is 8th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shohola Township | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lumberland | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Deerpark | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 136 |
| Montague Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Matamoras | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Milford Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Port Jervis | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 115 |
| Westfall Township | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 68 |
| Sparrow Bush | — | 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 Westfall 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.
- 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 Westfall Township
Is Westfall Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westfall Township has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,025 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Westfall Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 68 claims in Westfall Township since 1979, $1.4M in all, or 41.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 20 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (5).
Is Westfall 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 Pike County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Westfall Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Westfall 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 Westfall Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 5 paid, $65K.
Is Westfall Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Westfall Township’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Westfall Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Westfall 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.