Photo: Bravo27835 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Lehigh Township than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lehigh Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1996.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Lehigh Township 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.
What’s behind Lehigh Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lehigh Township, and Lehigh Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lehigh Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $614K a year in losses across Lehigh Township: $505K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lehigh Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lehigh Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $25K
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $46K
Lehigh Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wayne County.The storms Lehigh Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Wayne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lehigh Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20042 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Wayne County
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Wayne County
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Wayne County
Wayne County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Lehigh Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lehigh Township archive →Lehigh Township and its neighbors
Lehigh Township is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Coolbaugh Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Lehigh Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Dreher Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Sterling Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Gouldsboro | — | 713 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Big Bass Lake | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Pocono Springs | — | 835 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Lehigh Township 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 Lehigh Township
Is Lehigh Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lehigh Township has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hurricanes (9%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lehigh Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Lehigh Township since 1996, $82K in all, or 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (2).
Is Lehigh Township 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 Wayne County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lehigh Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lehigh Township’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 Lehigh Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 2 paid, $25K.
Is Lehigh Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Lehigh Township’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lehigh Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lehigh Township’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.