Natural hazards · Falls

Falls, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Falls comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 117 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Falls?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Falls to be higher than in 27% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding65%Earthquakes9%Cold waves6%Hurricanes5%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Falls faces

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

Inland flooding

65% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 46% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Falls flood?

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

117paid claims since 1978

$2.3Mpaid to owners

16homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 11 claims, $224K
Tropical Storm Lee: 11 claims, $859K
Hurricane Irene: 7 claims, $374K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (5) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Bucks County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

15flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Falls

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into FallsDeclared for Bucks County only

Bucks County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Falls

Falls and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Florencemostly inland floodingVery high

Trentonmostly inland floodingHigh

Morrisvillemostly inland floodingHigh

Bordentownmostly inland floodingHigh

Hamiltonmostly inland floodingModerate

Tullytownmostly inland floodingModerate

Fieldsboromostly inland floodingModerate

Bristolmostly inland floodingModerate

Lower Makefieldmostly inland floodingLow

Fallsmostly inland floodingLow

Middletownmostly inland floodingLow

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. Falls covers 9 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Falls’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Falls. 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 Falls total about $8.9M 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.