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Natural hazards · Rockland

Rockland, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Rockland comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 499 claims here since 1978. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Rockland?

84
Very high
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Rockland to be higher than in 84% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding88%Everything else12%
By hazard

What Rockland faces

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

Inland flooding

88% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat 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 Rockland flood?

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

499paid claims since 1978
$8.9Mpaid to owners
85homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Torrential rain: 60 claims, $1.0M
  • Not a named storm: 30 claims, $109K
  • Hurricane Irene: 20 claims, $373K

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 2 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (18) ■ flooded 2+ times

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

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into RocklandDeclared for Sullivan County only
2012

Hurricane Sandy

$13K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$35K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Flooding

$139K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

$3.7M to the Town of Rockland for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

$401K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
2004

Tropical Depression Ivan

$185K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
2003

Snow

$7K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
2002

Snowstorms

$17K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
Sullivan County has had 26 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Rockland

Rockland and the towns around it

Liberty: Very low, mostly inland floodingColchester: Very high, mostly inland floodingFremont: High, mostly inland floodingNeversink: High, mostly inland floodingHardenburgh: High, mostly inland floodingCallicoon: High, mostly inland floodingDenning: High, mostly inland floodingBethel: Very low, mostly inland floodingFallsburg: Low, mostly inland floodingHancock: Very high, mostly inland floodingAndes: High, mostly inland floodingHamden: High, mostly inland floodingWalton: Very high, mostly inland floodingManchester: High, mostly inland floodingDelaware: High, mostly inland floodingWawarsing: High, mostly inland floodingShandaken: Very high, mostly inland floodingMiddletown: High, mostly inland floodingJeffersonville: High, mostly inland floodingOlive: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRochester: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRockland: Very high, mostly inland flooding RocklandLibertyColchesterFremontNeversinkHardenburghCallicoonDenning
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Colchestermostly inland floodingVery high
Rocklandmostly inland floodingVery high
Fremontmostly inland floodingHigh
Hardenburghmostly inland floodingHigh
Denningmostly inland floodingHigh
Callicoonmostly inland floodingHigh
Neversinkmostly inland floodingHigh
Libertymostly 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. Rockland covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Rockland’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Rockland. 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 Rockland 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/15 · 2025-01-01
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