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Natural hazards · Lower Macungie

Lower Macungie, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lower Macungie comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 150 claims here since 1978.

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

How exposed is Lower Macungie?

36
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lower Macungie to be higher than in 36% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding57%Cold waves22%Heat waves5%Hurricanes5%Everything else11%
By hazard

What Lower Macungie faces

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

Inland flooding

57% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

22% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Heat waves

5% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 15% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

5% 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 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 Lower Macungie flood?

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

150paid claims since 1978
$3.2Mpaid to owners
25homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Isaias: 30 claims, $1.4M
  • Tropical Storm Ivan: 21 claims, $797K
  • Hurricane Irene: 16 claims, $192K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (4) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Lower Macungie 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 Lower Macungie

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Lower MacungieDeclared for Lehigh County only
Lehigh County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.
Around Lower Macungie

Lower Macungie and the towns around it

Macungie: Low, mostly inland floodingEmmaus: Low, mostly inland floodingUpper Milford: Very low, mostly inland floodingUpper Macungie: Very low, mostly inland floodingSouth Whitehall: Low, mostly inland floodingHereford: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSalisbury: Low, mostly inland floodingAllentown: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLower Milford: Low, mostly inland floodingUpper Saucon: Low, mostly inland floodingLowhill: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLongswamp: Low, mostly inland floodingMaxatawny: Very low, mostly inland floodingWhitehall: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorth Whitehall: Very low, mostly inland floodingDistrict: Very low, mostly inland floodingWashington: Moderate, mostly inland floodingUpper Hanover: Low, mostly inland floodingFountain Hill: Very high, mostly inland floodingBethlehem: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLower Macungie: Low, mostly inland flooding Lower MacungieMacungieEmmausUpper MilfordUpper MacungieSouth WhitehallHerefordSalisbury
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Herefordmostly inland floodingModerate
Macungiemostly inland floodingLow
Lower Macungiemostly inland floodingLow
Salisburymostly inland floodingLow
South Whitehallmostly inland floodingLow
Emmausmostly inland floodingLow
Upper Macungiemostly inland floodingVery low
Upper Milfordmostly 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. Lower Macungie covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lower Macungie’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Lower Macungie. 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 Lower Macungie total about $9.9M 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.

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