Michael and Margaret Heller House · Photo: Coemgenus · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Lower Saucon Township than in 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Saucon Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #638 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 25 claims here since 1993.
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 Saucon Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lower Saucon 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 Lower Saucon Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Saucon Township, and Lower Saucon Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
B #638 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lower Saucon Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lower Saucon Township has more expected damage per building than 61% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Lower Saucon Township: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lower Saucon Township flood? Sometimes: 25 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Saucon Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan7 claims · $130K
- Hurricane Irene6 claims · $137K
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $34K
Lower Saucon 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 Saucon Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Northampton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lower Saucon Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20047 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Northampton County
- 20116 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Northampton County
- 19992 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Saucon Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lower Saucon Township archive →Lower Saucon Township and its neighbors
Lower Saucon Township is 5th of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Saucon Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Bethlehem Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Hellertown | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Springfield Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Lower Saucon Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Williams Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 121 |
| Bethlehem | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 166 |
| Easton | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 233 |
| Freemansburg | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
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 Saucon 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 Lower Saucon Township
Is Lower Saucon Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Saucon Township has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #638 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hurricanes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lower Saucon Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 25 claims in Lower Saucon Township since 1993, $429K in all, or 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (7).
Is Lower Saucon 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 Saucon Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lower Saucon 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 Saucon Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 7 paid, $130K.
Is Lower Saucon Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Lower Saucon Township’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Saucon Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lower Saucon 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.