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War Monument ParkPhoto: WestEastonPA.com · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in West Easton · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in West Easton than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Easton gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1983.

River and rain flooding 90%Hurricanes 4%Earthquakes 2%

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

more than 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Pennsylvania · higher than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
16
paid since 1983 · $231K
Flooded more than once
4
properties
Disasters paid out here
2
of 18 declared for Northampton County
By hazard

What West Easton 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

90%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Lightning Hail Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind West Easton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in West Easton, and West Easton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where West Easton sits
West Easton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of West Easton’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Hurricanes4%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $435K a year in losses across West Easton: $370K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of West Easton’s 1,237 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does West Easton flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1983

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in West Easton, from FEMA’s records: 30.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 5 claims2005: 5 claims2006: 4 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420052006
19832026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan5 claims · $121K
  • The Torrential rain1 claim · $14K
16
paid claims since 1983
$231K
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$14K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

West Easton 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.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to West Easton

Disasters that paid out in West Easton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of West Easton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$3K aid approved5 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan3 households applied for aid$12K aid approved5 flood claims paid for it, $121K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in West EastonNorthampton County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of West Easton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the West Easton archive →
Next door

West Easton and its neighbors

West Easton is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Wilson: hazard risk B−Easton: hazard risk CWilsonEastonWest Easton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WilsonB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding2
EastonCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding233
West EastonC−more damage than 82%river and rain flooding16

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what West Easton faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in West Easton

Is West Easton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Easton has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 West Easton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in West Easton since 1983, $231K in all, or 30.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (5).

Is West Easton 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 West Easton?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for West Easton’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 West Easton?

By FEMA money that reached West Easton, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 3 households applied for aid, $12K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 5 paid, $121K.

Is West Easton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and West Easton’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Easton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where West Easton’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.