Natural hazards · Upper Chichester

Upper Chichester, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Upper Chichester comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 27 claims here since 1978. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Upper Chichester?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding59%Heat waves10%Tornadoes7%Cold waves7%Earthquakes6%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Upper Chichester faces

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

Inland flooding

59% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 34% 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

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 49% 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

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% 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 Upper Chichester flood?

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

27paid claims since 1978

$953Kpaid to owners

4homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Floyd: 7 claims, $59K
Hurricane Isaias: 3 claims, $87K
Hurricane Sandy: 1 claim, $8K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Upper Chichester 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.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Upper Chichester

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Upper Chichester itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Township of Upper Chichester.

Brought FEMA money into Upper ChichesterDeclared for Delaware County only

2021

Remnants of Hurricane Ida

21 households applied for aid $34K aid approved

2011

Tropical Storm Lee

8 households applied for aid $5K aid approved

2011

Hurricane Irene

32 households applied for aid $49K aid approved

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

Around Upper Chichester

Upper Chichester and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Chestermostly inland floodingHigh

Chestermostly inland floodingLow

Upper Chichestermostly inland floodingVery low

Trainermostly inland floodingVery low

Astonmostly inland floodingVery low

Lower Chichestermostly inland floodingVery low

Bethelmostly 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. Upper Chichester covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Upper Chichester’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Upper Chichester. 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 Upper Chichester total about $3.8M 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.