Photo: Smallbones at English Wikipedia · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Whitemarsh Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Whitemarsh Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #701 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 290 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 stands out about Whitemarsh Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Whitemarsh 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
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 Whitemarsh Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Whitemarsh Township, and Whitemarsh Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 5% (higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts).
B #701 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Whitemarsh Township’s residents live in 5 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, Whitemarsh Township has more expected damage per building than 68% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.6M a year in losses across Whitemarsh Township: $6.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Whitemarsh Township flood? Yes: 290 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Whitemarsh Township, from FEMA’s records: 35.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida37 claims · $5.8M
- Tropical Storm Allison35 claims · $3.6M
- Hurricane Irene29 claims · $3.0M
Whitemarsh 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 Whitemarsh Township remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Whitemarsh Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201164 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Montgomery County
- 202138 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Montgomery County
- 200135 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Allison, 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 Whitemarsh Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Whitemarsh Township archive →Whitemarsh Township and its neighbors
Whitemarsh Township is 5th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Dublin Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 180 |
| Springfield Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 140 |
| Lower Merion Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 234 |
| Plymouth Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 339 |
| Whitemarsh Township | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 290 |
| Philadelphia | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1,177 |
| Conshohocken | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 106 |
| Fort Washington | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Plymouth Meeting | — | 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 Whitemarsh 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.
- 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 Whitemarsh Township
Is Whitemarsh Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Whitemarsh Township has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #701 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and earthquakes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Whitemarsh Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 290 claims in Whitemarsh Township since 1978, $22.7M in all, or 35.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 49 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (37).
Is Whitemarsh 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 Whitemarsh Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Whitemarsh 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 Whitemarsh Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 37 paid, $5.8M.
Is Whitemarsh Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Whitemarsh Township’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Whitemarsh Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Whitemarsh 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.