Natural hazards · Upper Milford

Upper Milford, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Upper Milford comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1987.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Upper Milford?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Upper Milford to be higher than in 16% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding48%Cold waves26%Heat waves6%Hurricanes6%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Upper Milford faces

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

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 32% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

26% 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

6% 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 Upper Milford flood?

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

10paid claims since 1987

$205Kpaid to owners

3homes flooded more than once

19872026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 2 claims, $149K
Hurricane Floyd: 1 claim, $2K
Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $8K

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. Upper Milford 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 Upper Milford

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Upper MilfordDeclared for Lehigh County only

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

Around Upper Milford

Upper Milford and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Herefordmostly inland floodingModerate

Macungiemostly inland floodingLow

Lower Macungiemostly inland floodingLow

Salisburymostly inland floodingLow

Upper Sauconmostly inland floodingLow

Emmausmostly inland floodingLow

Lower Milfordmostly 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. Upper Milford covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Upper Milford’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Upper Milford. 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 Upper Milford total about $2.3M 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.