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Natural hazards · Salisbury

Salisbury, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Salisbury comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1978.

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

How exposed is Salisbury?

32
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Salisbury to be higher than in 32% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding54%Cold waves23%Heat waves6%Hurricanes5%Everything else13%
By hazard

What Salisbury faces

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

Inland flooding

54% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

23% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Heat waves

6% 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 74% 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 Salisbury flood?

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

8paid claims since 1978
$27Kpaid to owners
1homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Gloria: 1 claim, $6K
  • Hurricane Irene: 1 claim, $7K
  • Hurricane Isaias: 1 claim, $10K

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. Salisbury 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 Salisbury

Federal disasters declared here

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

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

Salisbury and the towns around it

Allentown: Moderate, mostly inland floodingFountain Hill: Very high, mostly inland floodingUpper Saucon: Low, mostly inland floodingEmmaus: Low, mostly inland floodingBethlehem: Moderate, mostly inland floodingUpper Milford: Very low, mostly inland floodingSouth Whitehall: Low, mostly inland floodingLower Macungie: Low, mostly inland floodingWhitehall: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHanover: Very low, mostly inland floodingCoopersburg: Very low, mostly inland floodingSpringfield: Low, mostly inland floodingLower Saucon: Low, mostly inland floodingLower Milford: Low, mostly inland floodingHanover: Very low, mostly inland floodingHellertown: Low, mostly inland floodingBethlehem: Low, mostly inland floodingFreemansburg: High, mostly inland floodingMacungie: Low, mostly inland floodingHereford: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorth Whitehall: Very low, mostly inland floodingUpper Macungie: Very low, mostly inland floodingSalisbury: Low, mostly inland flooding SalisburyAllentownFountain HillUpper SauconEmmausBethlehemUpper MilfordSouth WhitehallLower Macungie
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Fountain Hillmostly inland floodingVery high
Bethlehemmostly inland floodingModerate
Allentownmostly inland floodingModerate
Lower Macungiemostly inland floodingLow
Salisburymostly inland floodingLow
South Whitehallmostly inland floodingLow
Upper Sauconmostly inland floodingLow
Emmausmostly inland floodingLow
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. Salisbury covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Salisbury’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Salisbury. 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 Salisbury total about $4.8M 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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