Fullerton’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Fullerton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 39 claims here since 1978.
What stands out about Fullerton’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Fullerton?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 50% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.
Rated higher than 1,538 of the 2,558 Pennsylvania towns we cover.
Fullerton covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.
What Fullerton faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Cold waves
Heat waves
Does Fullerton flood? Sometimes: 39 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fullerton, from FEMA’s records.
- The Not a named storm9 claims · $17K
- Hurricane Isaias5 claims · $45K
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $14K
Fullerton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lehigh County.The storms Fullerton remembers
None of the disasters declared for Lehigh County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fullerton itself in FEMA’s records.
- 198714 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 197910 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Lehigh County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.
Old photos of Fullerton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fullerton archive →Get ready for what Fullerton actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Know the nearest cooling center or air-conditioned library.
- Drink water before you feel thirsty.
- Check on neighbors who live alone.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Fullerton and its neighbors
Fullerton ranks 5th calmest of 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catasauqua | High | inland flooding | 9 |
| Fullerton | Moderate | inland flooding | 39 |
| Whitehall | Moderate | inland flooding | 45 |
| Allentown | Moderate | inland flooding | 310 |
| South Whitehall | Low | inland flooding | 55 |
| Hanover | Very low | inland flooding | 2 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in August–September
The month each of Lehigh County’s 14 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Fullerton’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Fullerton.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Fullerton, expected losses total about $7.1M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fullerton.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.