Natural hazards · Collingdale

Collingdale, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Collingdale comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 40 claims here since 1979. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Collingdale?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Collingdale to be higher than in 8% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding38%Earthquakes17%Heat waves14%Cold waves9%Tornadoes8%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Collingdale faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

38% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 11% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Heat waves

14% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 16% of U.S. places

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 37% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Collingdale flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Collingdale, from FEMA’s records.

40paid claims since 1979

$937Kpaid to owners

6homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Floyd: 4 claims, $94K
Hurricane Irene: 3 claims, $82K
Hurricane Isaias: 2 claims, $114K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Collingdale 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.

Disasters that hit Collingdale

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Collingdale itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Borough of Collingdale.

Brought FEMA money into CollingdaleDeclared for Delaware County only

2021

Remnants of Hurricane Ida

138 households applied for aid $266K aid approved

2011

Tropical Storm Lee

19 households applied for aid $24K aid approved

2011

Hurricane Irene

102 households applied for aid $57K aid approved

2004

Severe Storms and Flooding

6 households applied for aid $7K aid approved

Delaware County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Collingdale

Collingdale and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Darbymostly inland floodingModerate

Sharon Hillmostly inland floodingVery low

Darbymostly inland floodingVery low

Aldanmostly inland floodingVery low

Collingdalemostly inland floodingVery low

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Collingdale covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Collingdale’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Borough of Collingdale. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Collingdale total about $1.4M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.