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Natural hazards · Berkshire

Berkshire, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Berkshire comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979. 9 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Berkshire?

65
High
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Berkshire to be higher than in 65% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding86%Everything else14%
By hazard

What Berkshire faces

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

Inland flooding

86% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Berkshire flood?

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

2paid claims since 1979
$2Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19792026
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Berkshire isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tioga County.
Disasters that hit Berkshire

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into BerkshireDeclared for Tioga County only
2021

Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred

$14K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
2019

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$204K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
2011

Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee

49 households applied for aid $112K aid approved $244K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
2011

Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds

$57K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

7 households applied for aid $5K aid approved $118K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

4 households applied for aid $9K aid approved $47K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
2004

Tropical Depression Ivan

$159K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
2002

Snowstorms

$10K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
2000

Severe Storms and Flooding

$51K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
Tioga County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Berkshire

Berkshire and the towns around it

Caroline: High, mostly inland floodingCandor: High, mostly inland floodingRichford: High, mostly inland floodingNewark Valley: High, mostly inland floodingLisle: High, mostly inland floodingNanticoke: High, mostly inland floodingDanby: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDryden: High, mostly inland floodingOwego: High, mostly inland floodingSpencer: High, mostly inland floodingTioga: High, mostly inland floodingMaine: High, mostly inland floodingTriangle: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMarathon: High, mostly inland floodingBarker: High, mostly inland floodingBerkshire: High, mostly inland flooding BerkshireCarolineCandorRichfordNewark ValleyLisleNanticoke
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Nanticokemostly inland floodingHigh
Carolinemostly inland floodingHigh
Candormostly inland floodingHigh
Lislemostly inland floodingHigh
Newark Valleymostly inland floodingHigh
Berkshiremostly inland floodingHigh
Richfordmostly inland floodingHigh
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. Berkshire is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Berkshire’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Berkshire. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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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