Photo: CyberXRef · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Fullerton
Fullerton isn’t graded for hazard risk: Fullerton is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 39 claims here since 1978.
What Fullerton 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
Hurricanes
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.
Does Fullerton flood? Sometimes: 39 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fullerton, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Isaias5 claims · $45K
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $14K
Fullerton 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.The storms Fullerton remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Lehigh County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fullerton itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198714 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 197910 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20205 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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.
Old photos of Fullerton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fullerton archive →Fullerton and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| South Whitehall Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Allentown | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 310 |
| Whitehall Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Catasauqua | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Fullerton faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Fullerton
Does Fullerton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 39 claims in Fullerton since 1978, $632K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (5).
Is Fullerton 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 Fullerton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fullerton’s 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 Fullerton?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 5 paid, $45K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fullerton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fullerton’s 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.