Natural hazards · Delaware

Delaware, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Delaware comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 75 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Delaware?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Delaware to be higher than in 58% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding74%Hurricanes11%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Delaware faces

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

Inland flooding

74% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 16 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Delaware flood?

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

75paid claims since 1978

$1.0Mpaid to owners

10homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 10 claims, $129K
Tropical Storm Lee: 10 claims, $114K
Hurricane Floyd: 5 claims, $73K

Homes that flooded again and again

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Delaware isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Juniata County.

Disasters that hit Delaware

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into DelawareDeclared for Juniata County only

Juniata County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Delaware

Delaware and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Tuscaroramostly inland floodingHigh

Greenwoodmostly inland floodingHigh

Delawaremostly inland floodingModerate

Walkermostly inland floodingModerate

Greenwoodmostly inland floodingModerate

Monroemostly inland floodingModerate

Fayettemostly inland floodingModerate

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. Delaware is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

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

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.