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Natural hazards · Sand Lake

Sand Lake, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sand Lake comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 2009. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Sand Lake?

32
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sand Lake to be higher than in 32% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding65%Tornadoes11%Hail7%Hurricanes5%Everything else12%
By hazard

What Sand Lake faces

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

Inland flooding

65% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 57% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 46% of U.S. places

Hail

7% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 21% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

5% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 16 years in the area

Lower here

Ice 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 Sand Lake flood?

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

15paid claims since 2009
$644Kpaid to owners
2homes flooded more than once
20092026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Irene: 5 claims, $49K
  • December Nor'easter: 1 claim, $7K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

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

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into Sand LakeDeclared for Rensselaer County only
2017

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$35K to the Town of Sand Lake for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

5 households applied for aid $9K aid approved $68K to the Town of Sand Lake for repairs
2010

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$23K to the Town of Sand Lake for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm

$259K to the Town of Sand Lake for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

$4K to the Town of Sand Lake for repairs
2003

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes

1 household applied for aid
2002

Snowstorms

$33K to the Town of Sand Lake for repairs
Rensselaer County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Sand Lake

Sand Lake and the towns around it

Berlin: High, mostly inland floodingPoestenkill: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNassau: High, mostly inland floodingEast Greenbush: Low, mostly inland floodingSchodack: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorth Greenbush: Low, mostly inland floodingPetersburgh: Very high, mostly inland floodingStephentown: High, mostly inland floodingGrafton: Very low, mostly inland floodingBrunswick: Low, mostly inland floodingNassau: High, mostly inland floodingEast Nassau: High, mostly inland floodingChatham: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRensselaer: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBethlehem: Very low, mostly inland floodingCoeymans: Low, mostly inland floodingStuyvesant: Low, mostly inland floodingTroy: High, mostly inland floodingMenands: Very low, mostly inland floodingColonie: Very low, mostly inland floodingSand Lake: Low, mostly inland flooding Sand LakeBerlinPoestenkillNassauEast GreenbushSchodackNorth Greenbush
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Berlinmostly inland floodingHigh
Nassaumostly inland floodingHigh
Poestenkillmostly inland floodingModerate
Schodackmostly inland floodingModerate
Sand Lakemostly inland floodingLow
North Greenbushmostly inland floodingLow
East Greenbushmostly inland floodingLow
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. Sand Lake covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Sand Lake’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Sand Lake. 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 Sand Lake total about $2.0M 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.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Sand Lake, NYRensselaer CountyView boundary

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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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