Storms, floods and disasters in Lehigh Township
Lehigh Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Lehigh Township has 330 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1979.
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.
Does Lehigh Township flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lehigh Township, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Isaias2 claims · $19K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $12K
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: Carbon County.The storms Lehigh Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Carbon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lehigh Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20182 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20202 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Carbon County has had 15 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
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Forest Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Kidder Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Jim Thorpe | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Weatherly | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Nesquehoning | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lausanne Township | — | 380 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
Does Lehigh Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Lehigh Township since 1979, $126K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (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 Carbon County, 15% 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, Hurricane Isaias: 2 paid, $19K.
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.