Natural hazards · Lower Saucon

Lower Saucon, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lower Saucon comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 25 claims here since 1993.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lower Saucon?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding70%Hurricanes7%Heat waves6%Cold waves5%Tornadoes5%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Lower Saucon faces

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

Inland flooding

70% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 16 years in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 14% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 34% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Saucon flood?

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

25paid claims since 1993

$429Kpaid to owners

4homes flooded more than once

19932026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 7 claims, $130K
Hurricane Irene: 6 claims, $137K
Hurricane Floyd: 2 claims, $34K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Lower Saucon 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 Saucon

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Lower SauconDeclared for Northampton County only

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

Around Lower Saucon

Lower Saucon and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Freemansburgmostly inland floodingHigh

Eastonmostly inland floodingHigh

Bethlehemmostly inland floodingModerate

Williamsmostly inland floodingModerate

Lower Sauconmostly inland floodingLow

Springfieldmostly inland floodingLow

Hellertownmostly inland floodingLow

Bethlehemmostly inland floodingLow

Upper Sauconmostly inland floodingLow

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 Saucon covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lower Saucon’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Lower Saucon. 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 Saucon total about $3.3M 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.