Natural hazards · Southeast

Southeast, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Southeast comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2007.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Southeast?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Southeast to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding68%Hurricanes6%Earthquakes6%Strong wind5%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Southeast faces

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

Inland flooding

68% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Southeast flood?

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

5paid claims since 2007

$36Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

20072026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irene: 2 claims, $21K
April 2007 Nor'easter: 1 claim, $2K
Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $8K

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. Southeast isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Putnam County.

Disasters that hit Southeast

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into SoutheastDeclared for Putnam County only

Putnam County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Southeast

Southeast and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Danburymostly inland floodingModerate

North Salemmostly inland floodingLow

Southeastmostly inland floodingVery low

Pattersonmostly inland floodingVery low

Carmelmostly 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. Southeast covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Southeast’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Southeast. 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 Southeast total about $4.3M 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.