Natural hazards · Hanover

Hanover, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Hanover comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Hanover?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Hanover to be higher than in 12% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding59%Cold waves11%Earthquakes10%Hurricanes9%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Hanover 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

Well below average · higher than 20% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

10% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Hanover flood?

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

2paid claims since 1979

$3Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 1 claim, $2K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. 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: Lehigh County.

Disasters that hit Hanover

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into HanoverDeclared for Lehigh County only

Lehigh County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around Hanover

Hanover and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Catasauquamostly inland floodingHigh

Bethlehemmostly inland floodingModerate

Whitehallmostly inland floodingModerate

Allentownmostly inland floodingModerate

Hanovermostly 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. Hanover covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Hanover’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of 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 Hanover total about $1.3M 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.