Natural hazards · Tappan

Tappan, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Tappan comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 60 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Tappan?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Tappan to be higher than in 19% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding65%Hurricanes7%Earthquakes7%Cold waves6%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Tappan 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

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Earthquakes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 30% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Tappan flood?

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

60paid claims since 1978

$579Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 9 claims, $16K
Hurricane Ida: 8 claims, $289K
Hurricane Irene: 6 claims, $46K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Tappan isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Rockland County.

Disasters that hit Tappan

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into TappanDeclared for Rockland County only

Rockland County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Tappan

Tappan and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Sparkillmostly inland floodingLow

Orangeburgmostly inland floodingLow

Tappanmostly inland floodingVery low

Pearl Rivermostly 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. Tappan covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Tappan’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Tappan. 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 Tappan total about $953K 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.