Hewlett is calmer than 83% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Hewlett comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 37 claims here since 1978.
What stands out about Hewlett’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Hewlett?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 17% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,183 of the 1,524 New York towns we cover.
Hewlett covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Hewlett and its neighbors
Hewlett has the lowest rating of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Rockaway | Moderate | inland flooding | 1,026 |
| Valley Stream | Low | inland flooding | 232 |
| Lynbrook | Low | inland flooding | 7 |
| Hewlett Bay Park | Low | inland flooding | 24 |
| Hewlett Harbor | Low | inland flooding | 189 |
| Hewlett | Very low | inland flooding | 37 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
What Hewlett faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Earthquakes
Hurricanes
Does Hewlett flood? Sometimes: 37 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hewlett, from FEMA’s records.
- The Late-September New York Flooding8 claims · $608K
- Hurricane Irene7 claims · $68K
- Hurricane Sandy5 claims · $91K
Hewlett isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Nassau County.Federal disasters declared here
None of the disasters declared for Nassau County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hewlett itself in FEMA’s records.
Nassau County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Get ready for what Hewlett actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Most disasters here begin in August–October
The month each of Nassau County’s 24 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Hewlett’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Hewlett.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Hewlett, expected losses total about $1.4M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hewlett.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Weather alerts: National Weather Service. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.