St. James is calmer than 94% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in St. James comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1978.
What stands out about St. James’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is St. James?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 6% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,449 of the 1,524 New York towns we cover.
St. James covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
What St. James faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
Cold waves
Does St. James flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. James, from FEMA’s records.
- The Not a named storm3 claims · $1K
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $24K
- The Late summer storms1 claim · $4K
St. James isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Suffolk County.Federal disasters declared here
None of the disasters declared for Suffolk County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching St. James itself in FEMA’s records.
Suffolk County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Get ready for what St. James 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
St. James and its neighbors
St. James ranks 2nd calmest of 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookhaven | Low | inland flooding | 3,825 |
| Lake Grove | Very low | inland flooding | 1 |
| Village of the Branch | Very low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Head of the Harbor | Very low | inland flooding | 3 |
| St. James | Very low | inland flooding | 13 |
| Smithtown | Very low | inland flooding | 225 |
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.
Most disasters here begin in August–September
The month each of Suffolk County’s 28 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 St. James’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to St. James.
- 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 St. James, expected losses total about $2.4M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. James.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.