Natural hazards · Lower Moreland

Lower Moreland, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lower Moreland comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 173 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lower Moreland?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lower Moreland to be higher than in 17% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding63%Cold waves10%Earthquakes7%Heat waves7%Tornadoes5%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Lower Moreland faces

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

Inland flooding

63% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

10% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 25% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

7% of expected damage

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

Heat waves

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage

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

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Lower Moreland flood?

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

173paid claims since 1978

$11.3Mpaid to owners

35homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Allison: 53 claims, $3.6M
Hurricane Floyd: 28 claims, $4.7M
Hurricane Irene: 20 claims, $1.1M

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Lower Moreland 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.

Disasters that hit Lower Moreland

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Lower MorelandDeclared for Montgomery County only

Montgomery County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Lower Moreland

Lower Moreland and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Philadelphiamostly inland floodingModerate

Bryn Athynmostly inland floodingLow

Lower Morelandmostly inland floodingVery low

Upper Morelandmostly inland floodingVery low

Abingtonmostly 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. Lower Moreland covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lower Moreland’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Lower Moreland. 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 Lower Moreland total about $5.1M 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.