Natural hazards · New Hanover

New Hanover, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in New Hanover comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 52 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is New Hanover?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in New Hanover to be higher than in 42% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding70%Cold waves9%Heat waves5%Tornadoes5%Everything else10%

By hazard

What New Hanover faces

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

Inland flooding

70% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Heat waves

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 New Hanover flood?

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

52paid claims since 1978

$1.1Mpaid to owners

9homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Isaias: 8 claims, $85K
Hurricane Floyd: 3 claims, $44K
Hurricane Ida: 2 claims, $19K

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. New Hanover 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 New Hanover

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into New HanoverDeclared for Montgomery County only

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

Around New Hanover

New Hanover and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

New Hanovermostly inland floodingModerate

Lower Pottsgrovemostly inland floodingLow

Douglassmostly inland floodingLow

Upper Hanovermostly inland floodingLow

Upper Frederickmostly inland floodingVery low

Limerickmostly inland floodingVery low

Upper Pottsgrovemostly 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. New Hanover covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to New Hanover’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of New Hanover. 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 New Hanover total about $4.8M 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.