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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Ancient Oaks · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Ancient Oaks

Ancient Oaks isn’t graded for hazard risk: Ancient Oaks is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1996.

Flood claims
13
paid since 1996 · $160K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 13 declared for Lehigh County
By hazard

What Ancient Oaks faces

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

River and rain flooding

87%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Hail Ice storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 20% of Ancient Oaks’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

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 Ancient Oaks flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1996

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

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 8 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 2 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620202024
19962026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Isaias8 claims · $148K
  • Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $3K
13
paid claims since 1996
$160K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$12K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Ancient Oaks 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

The storms Ancient Oaks remembers

None of the 13 disasters declared for Lehigh County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ancient Oaks itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20208 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  2. 20242 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  3. 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Lehigh County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Ancient OaksLehigh County only

Lehigh County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Ancient Oaks after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Ancient Oaks archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ancient Oaks faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Ancient Oaks

Does Ancient Oaks flood?

Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Ancient Oaks since 1996, $160K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (8).

Is Ancient Oaks in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Lehigh County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ancient Oaks?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ancient Oaks’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Ancient Oaks?

By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 8 paid, $148K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ancient Oaks.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ancient Oaks’ residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.