Photo: CyberXRef · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Upper Macungie Township faces less hazard damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Macungie Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #316 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1982.
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 Upper Macungie 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 Upper Macungie Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Upper Macungie Township, and Upper Macungie Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
A #316 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Upper Macungie 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, Upper Macungie Township has less expected damage per building than 70% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.1M a year in losses across Upper Macungie Township: $6.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Upper Macungie Township flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Upper Macungie Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isaias5 claims · $266K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $67K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $4K
Upper Macungie 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 Upper Macungie Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Lehigh County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Upper Macungie Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20205 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20052 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20062 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 Upper Macungie Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Upper Macungie Township archive →Upper Macungie Township and its neighbors
Upper Macungie Township is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maxatawny Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Upper Macungie Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Longswamp Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| South Whitehall Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Lower Macungie Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 150 |
| Lowhill Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Breinigsville | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Trexlertown | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Wescosville | — | 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 Upper Macungie 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 Upper Macungie Township
Is Upper Macungie Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Macungie Township has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #316 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Upper Macungie Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Upper Macungie Township since 1982, $499K in all, or 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaias (5).
Is Upper Macungie 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 Upper Macungie Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Upper Macungie 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 Upper Macungie Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isaias: 5 paid, $266K.
Is Upper Macungie Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Upper Macungie Township’s rate for it is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Upper Macungie Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Upper Macungie 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.