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Natural hazards · Babylon

Babylon, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Babylon comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1,645 claims here since 1978. 9 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations
Expected damage

How exposed is Babylon?

37
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Babylon to be higher than in 37% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and coastal flooding.

Inland flooding49%Coastal flooding28%Hurricanes9%Earthquakes6%Everything else9%
By hazard

What Babylon faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

49% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 30% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

28% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

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

Does Babylon flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Babylon, from FEMA’s records.

1,645paid claims since 1978
$98.0Mpaid to owners
231homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Sandy: 877 claims, $87.9M
  • Hurricane Irene: 148 claims, $4.1M
  • December Storm - Nor'easter: 145 claims, $1.4M

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 4 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (56) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Babylon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Suffolk County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

8homes raised above flood level
Disasters that hit Babylon

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Babylon itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Village of Babylon.

Brought FEMA money into BabylonDeclared for Suffolk County only
2021

Remnants of Hurricane Ida

29 households applied for aid $2K aid approved
2020

Tropical Storm Isaias

$200K to the Village of Babylon for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$33K to the Village of Babylon for repairs
2012

Hurricane Sandy

1,657 households applied for aid $10.6M aid approved $3.7M to the Village of Babylon for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

109 households applied for aid $156K aid approved $121K to the Village of Babylon for repairs
2010

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$1K to the Village of Babylon for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

$59K to the Village of Babylon for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$4K to the Village of Babylon for repairs
2003

Snow

$17K to the Village of Babylon for repairs
Suffolk County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Around Babylon

Babylon and the towns around it

Babylon: Low, mostly inland floodingIslip: Very low, mostly inland floodingOyster Bay: Very low, mostly inland floodingHuntington: Very low, mostly inland floodingAmityville: High, mostly inland floodingBrookhaven: Low, mostly inland floodingSmithtown: Very low, mostly inland floodingBabylon: Low, mostly inland flooding BabylonBabylonIslip
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Babylonmostly inland floodingLow
Babylonmostly inland floodingLow
Islipmostly inland floodingVery low
About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Babylon covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Babylon’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Babylon. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Babylon total about $3.4M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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