TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
Upper ProvidenceGood afternoon
Natural hazards · Upper Providence

Upper Providence, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Upper Providence comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 418 claims here since 1978.

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

How exposed is Upper Providence?

11
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Upper Providence to be higher than in 11% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding61%Heat waves9%Tornadoes7%Cold waves6%Earthquakes5%Everything else12%
By hazard

What Upper Providence faces

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

Inland flooding

61% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 25% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Heat waves

9% 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
Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Cold waves

6% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 37% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce 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 Upper Providence flood?

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

418paid claims since 1978
$11.6Mpaid to owners
64homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Floyd: 78 claims, $1.8M
  • Hurricane Ida: 68 claims, $6.0M
  • Not a named storm: 42 claims, $152K

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 2 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (26) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Upper Providence 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 Upper Providence

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Upper ProvidenceDeclared for Delaware County only
Delaware County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.
Around Upper Providence

Upper Providence and the towns around it

Middletown: Very low, mostly inland floodingMarple: Very low, mostly inland floodingEdgmont: Very low, mostly inland floodingMedia: Very low, mostly inland floodingNether Providence: Very low, mostly inland floodingNewtown: Very low, mostly inland floodingSpringfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingAston: Very low, mostly inland floodingChester Heights: Low, mostly inland floodingThornbury: Very low, mostly inland floodingRose Valley: Low, mostly inland floodingBrookhaven: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHaverford: Very low, mostly inland floodingRadnor: Very low, mostly inland floodingWillistown: Very low, mostly inland floodingSwarthmore: Very low, mostly inland floodingChester: Low, mostly inland floodingRidley: Low, mostly inland floodingEasttown: Very low, mostly inland floodingUpper Darby: Low, mostly inland floodingMorton: Very low, mostly inland floodingUpper Providence: Very low, mostly inland flooding Upper ProvidenceMiddletownMarpleEdgmontMediaNether ProvidenceNewtownSpringfield
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Nether Providencemostly inland floodingVery low
Upper Providencemostly inland floodingVery low
Middletownmostly inland floodingVery low
Edgmontmostly inland floodingVery low
Springfieldmostly inland floodingVery low
Marplemostly inland floodingVery low
Newtownmostly inland floodingVery low
Mediamostly 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 Providence covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Upper Providence’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Upper Providence. 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 Providence total about $2.7M 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.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Upper Providence, PADelaware CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Upper Providence is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map