Natural hazards · Lower Nazareth

Lower Nazareth, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lower Nazareth comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1994.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lower Nazareth?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lower Nazareth to be higher than in 37% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding72%Hurricanes7%Everything else21%

By hazard

What Lower Nazareth faces

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

Inland flooding

72% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 16 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Nazareth flood?

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

7paid claims since 1994

$103Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19942026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irene: 1 claim, $9K
Hurricane Isaias: 1 claim, $23K
Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $6K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Lower Nazareth isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Northampton County.

Disasters that hit Lower Nazareth

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Lower NazarethDeclared for Northampton County only

Northampton County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Lower Nazareth

Lower Nazareth and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Palmermostly inland floodingModerate

Upper Nazarethmostly inland floodingModerate

Lower Nazarethmostly inland floodingLow

Bethlehemmostly inland floodingLow

Nazarethmostly 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 Nazareth covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lower Nazareth’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Lower Nazareth. 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 Nazareth total about $3.2M 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.