Photo: NicholasT · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Lowhill Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lowhill Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2004.
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 Lowhill 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 Lowhill Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lowhill Township, and Lowhill Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lowhill Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Lowhill Township: $819K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lowhill Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lowhill Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $2K
Lowhill 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: Lehigh County.The storms Lowhill Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Lehigh County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lowhill Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Lehigh County
- 20051 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 Lowhill Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lowhill Township archive →Lowhill Township and its neighbors
Lowhill Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weisenberg Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| North Whitehall Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Upper Macungie Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Heidelberg Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Lowhill Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Schnecksville | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Lowhill 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 Lowhill Township
Is Lowhill Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lowhill Township has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Lowhill Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Lowhill Township since 2004, $17K in all, or 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (1).
Is Lowhill 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 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 Lowhill Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lowhill 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 Lowhill Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 paid, $2K.
Is Lowhill Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Lowhill Township’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lowhill Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lowhill 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.