Photo: WhisperToMe · Public domainFEMA puts Westtown Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westtown Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #132 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 5 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 Westtown 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
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 Westtown Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Westtown Township, and Westtown Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 7% (higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts).
A #132 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Westtown 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, Westtown Township has less expected damage per building than 87% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Westtown Township: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Westtown Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Westtown Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Westtown 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: Chester County.The storms Westtown Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Chester County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Westtown Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Chester County has had 21 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 Westtown Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Westtown Township archive →Westtown Township and its neighbors
Westtown Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willistown Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| West Goshen Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Westtown Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| East Goshen Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Thornbury Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Birmingham Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Westtown 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.
- 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 Westtown Township
Is Westtown Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westtown Township has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #132 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and hurricanes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Westtown Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Westtown Township since 1978, $29K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Westtown 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 Chester County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Westtown Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Westtown Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Westtown Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Westtown Township’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Westtown Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Westtown 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.