Natural hazards · Darby

Darby, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Darby comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 33 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Darby?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Darby to be higher than in 15% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding45%Earthquakes16%Heat waves11%Cold waves7%Tornadoes7%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Darby faces

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

Inland flooding

45% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 22% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places

Heat waves

11% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

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

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Darby flood?

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

33paid claims since 1979

$487Kpaid to owners

2homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Floyd: 6 claims, $235K
Hurricane Irene: 4 claims, $17K
Hurricane Isaias: 1 claim, $47K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Darby 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 Darby

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Delaware County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Darby itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into DarbyDeclared for Delaware County only

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

Around Darby

Darby and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Colwynmostly inland floodingModerate

Philadelphiamostly inland floodingModerate

Upper Darbymostly inland floodingLow

Ridleymostly inland floodingLow

Sharon Hillmostly inland floodingVery low

Folcroftmostly inland floodingVery low

Darbymostly inland floodingVery low

Glenoldenmostly 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. Darby covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Darby’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Darby. 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 Darby total about $1.8M 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.