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Natural hazards · Esopus

Esopus, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Esopus comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 9 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 Esopus?

22
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Esopus to be higher than in 22% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding60%Tornadoes13%Hurricanes8%Everything else20%
By hazard

What Esopus faces

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

Inland flooding

60% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

8% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 16 years in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtAvalanches

Not a risk here

TsunamisVolcanic 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 Esopus flood?

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

9paid claims since 1978
$85Kpaid to owners
2homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Irene: 2 claims, $21K
  • Not a named storm: 1 claim, $663
  • Hurricane Sandy: 1 claim, $11K

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. Esopus isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ulster County.
Disasters that hit Esopus

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into EsopusDeclared for Ulster County only
2017

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$34K to the Town of Esopus for repairs
2011

Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee

1 household applied for aid
2011

Hurricane Irene

11 households applied for aid $24K aid approved $80K to the Town of Esopus for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

2 households applied for aid $537 aid approved $88K to the Town of Esopus for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

$16K to the Town of Esopus for repairs
2004

Severe Storms and Flooding

$7K to the Town of Esopus for repairs
2003

Snow

$15K to the Town of Esopus for repairs
2002

Snowstorms

$31K to the Town of Esopus for repairs
2000

Severe Storms and Flooding

$6K to the Town of Esopus for repairs
Ulster County has had 29 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Esopus

Esopus and the towns around it

Rosendale: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHyde Park: Low, mostly inland floodingUlster: Low, mostly inland floodingKingston: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRhinebeck: Low, mostly inland floodingLloyd: Low, mostly inland floodingNew Paltz: Very low, mostly inland floodingMarbletown: Low, mostly inland floodingHurley: Very low, mostly inland floodingClinton: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPoughkeepsie: Low, mostly inland floodingPleasant Valley: High, mostly inland floodingKingston: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSaugerties: Low, mostly inland floodingRed Hook: Low, mostly inland floodingMilan: Low, mostly inland floodingPlattekill: Low, mostly inland floodingMarlborough: Low, mostly inland floodingPoughkeepsie: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGardiner: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRochester: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEsopus: Low, mostly inland flooding EsopusRosendaleHyde ParkUlsterKingstonRhinebeckLloydNew Paltz
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Kingstonmostly inland floodingModerate
Rosendalemostly inland floodingModerate
Hyde Parkmostly inland floodingLow
Lloydmostly inland floodingLow
Rhinebeckmostly inland floodingLow
Esopusmostly inland floodingLow
Ulstermostly inland floodingLow
New Paltzmostly 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. Esopus covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Esopus’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Esopus. 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 Esopus total about $2.3M 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/15 · 2025-01-01
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