Photo: PattiParker · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, South Whitehall Township faces less hazard damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Whitehall Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #530 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 55 claims here since 1978.
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 South Whitehall Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What South Whitehall 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
Earthquakes
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 South Whitehall Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in South Whitehall Township, and South Whitehall Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #530 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
South Whitehall Township’s residents live in 4 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, South Whitehall Township has more expected damage per building than 51% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.9M a year in losses across South Whitehall Township: $5.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does South Whitehall Township flood? Sometimes: 55 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in South Whitehall Township, from FEMA’s records: 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isaias8 claims · $572K
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $28K
South Whitehall 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 South Whitehall Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Lehigh County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching South Whitehall Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198211 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19799 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19878 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 South Whitehall Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the South Whitehall Township archive →South Whitehall Township and its neighbors
South Whitehall Township is 3rd of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Whitehall Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Upper Macungie Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| South Whitehall Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Salisbury Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Lower Macungie Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 150 |
| Allentown | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 310 |
| Whitehall Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Dorneyville | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Cetronia | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Wescosville | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Fullerton | — | 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 South Whitehall 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 South Whitehall Township
Is South Whitehall Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Whitehall Township has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #530 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does South Whitehall Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 55 claims in South Whitehall Township since 1978, $921K in all, or 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 10 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (8).
Is South Whitehall 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 South Whitehall Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for South Whitehall 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 South Whitehall Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 8 paid, $572K.
Is South Whitehall Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and South Whitehall Township’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Whitehall Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where South Whitehall 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.