Natural hazards · Marple

Marple, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Marple comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 44 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Marple?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Marple to be higher than in 5% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding52%Heat waves10%Tornadoes8%Earthquakes8%Cold waves7%Hurricanes6%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Marple faces

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

Inland flooding

52% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 10% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Heat waves

10% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

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

Earthquakes

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. places

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Lower here

HailIce 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 Marple flood?

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

44paid claims since 1978

$1.7Mpaid to owners

5homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Isaias: 11 claims, $1.1M
Hurricane Floyd: 4 claims, $95K
Hurricane Irene: 4 claims, $89K

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. Marple 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 Marple

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into MarpleDeclared for Delaware County only

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

Around Marple

Marple and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Nether Providencemostly inland floodingVery low

Haverfordmostly inland floodingVery low

Upper Providencemostly inland floodingVery low

Springfieldmostly inland floodingVery low

Radnormostly inland floodingVery low

Marplemostly inland floodingVery low

Newtownmostly 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. Marple covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Marple’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Marple. 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 Marple total about $5.3M 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.