Natural hazards · Chester

Chester, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chester comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2011.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Chester?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Chester to be higher than in 62% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding75%Cold waves15%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Chester faces

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

Inland flooding

75% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

15% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 46% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtTsunamisVolcanic 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 Chester flood?

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

2paid claims since 2011

$28Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20112026

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Chester isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Warren County.

Disasters that hit Chester

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Warren County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Chester itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into ChesterDeclared for Warren County only

Warren County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.

Around Chester

Chester and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Thurmanmostly inland floodingHigh

Horiconmostly inland floodingHigh

Minervamostly inland floodingHigh

Chestermostly inland floodingHigh

Warrensburgmostly inland floodingModerate

Johnsburgmostly inland floodingModerate

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. Chester covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Chester’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Chester. 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 Chester total about $2.2M 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.