Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0FEMA puts Lower Mount Bethel Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Mount Bethel Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #1,000 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 228 claims here since 1986.
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 stands out about Lower Mount Bethel Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lower Mount Bethel 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
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 Lower Mount Bethel Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Mount Bethel Township, and Lower Mount Bethel Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
D #1,000 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lower Mount Bethel Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lower Mount Bethel Township has more expected damage per building than 96% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Lower Mount Bethel Township: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lower Mount Bethel Township flood? Yes: 228 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Mount Bethel Township, from FEMA’s records: 169.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan48 claims · $1.2M
- The Torrential rain8 claims · $255K
- Tropical Storm Lee5 claims · $41K
Lower Mount Bethel 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: Northampton County.The storms Lower Mount Bethel Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Northampton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lower Mount Bethel Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200668 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Northampton County
- 200561 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Northampton County
- 200449 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Northampton County
Northampton County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Lower Mount Bethel Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lower Mount Bethel Township archive →Lower Mount Bethel Township and its neighbors
Lower Mount Bethel Township is 7th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plainfield Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Washington Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Upper Mount Bethel Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 124 |
| Forks Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 162 |
| Harmony Township | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 321 |
| White Township | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Lower Mount Bethel Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 228 |
| Belvidere | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 155 |
| Hutchinson | — | 114 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 Lower Mount Bethel 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.
- 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 Lower Mount Bethel Township
Is Lower Mount Bethel Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Mount Bethel Township has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #1,000 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Lower Mount Bethel Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 228 claims in Lower Mount Bethel Township since 1986, $8.4M in all, or 169.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 61 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (48).
Is Lower Mount Bethel 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 Northampton County, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lower Mount Bethel Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lower Mount Bethel 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 Lower Mount Bethel Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 48 paid, $1.2M.
Is Lower Mount Bethel Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Lower Mount Bethel Township’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Mount Bethel Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lower Mount Bethel 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.