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Natural hazards in Uniondale · FEMA

Uniondale is calmer than 82% of U.S. communities

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Uniondale comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1978.

18Very low riskLowerHigherExpected storm and flood damage, vs. U.S. communities
Overall risk
Very low
higher than 18% of U.S. places
Main hazard
Inland flooding
54% of expected damage
Flood claims
16
paid since 1978 · $254K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 24 declared for Nassau County
Expected yearly loss
$5.8M
buildings, people and crops

What stands out about Uniondale’s weather risks

Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Expected damage

How exposed is Uniondale?

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

Where Uniondale sits
Uniondale
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Calmer than 1,168 of the 1,524 New York towns we cover.

Uniondale covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.

What drives the damage
Inland flooding54%Earthquakes20%Hurricanes12%Everything else15%
By hazard

What Uniondale faces

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

Inland flooding

54%of expected damage
Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

20%of expected damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

12%of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area
Lower here
🌪️ Tornadoes🧊 Hail🧊 Ice storms❄️ Winter weather🥶 Cold waves🌡️ Heat waves🔥 Wildfire⛰️ Landslides💨 Strong wind⚡ Lightning
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 Uniondale flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1978

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

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 2 claims1980: 1 claim1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 2 claims1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 2 claims2012: 2 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims 197919842011
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Sandy2 claims · $104K
  • The December Storm - nor’easter1 claim · $46K
  • The Late summer storms1 claim · $4K
16
paid claims since 1978
$254K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$16K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Nassau County.
Storms remembered

Federal disasters declared here

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

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in UniondaleNassau County only

Nassau County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Be ready

Get ready for what Uniondale actually faces

A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Coastal Flood AdvisoryCoastal Flood Advisory issued September 27 at 8:57PM EDT until September 28 at 2:00PM EDT by NWS Upton NY
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Next door

Uniondale and its neighbors

Uniondale ranks 3rd calmest of 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
TownRatingMostlyFlood claims
HempsteadLowinland flooding19,033
HempsteadLowinland flooding12
UniondaleVery lowinland flooding16
Garden CityVery lowinland flooding2
North HempsteadVery lowinland flooding189

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.

Storm season

Most disasters here begin in August–October

The month each of Nassau County’s 24 declared disasters began, since 1953.

1J
1F
3M
A
1M
J
J
5A
8S
2O
1N
2D
HurricanesSevere stormsFloodsWinter stormsFiresDroughts
How to read this page

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 Uniondale’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Uniondale.
  • 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 Uniondale, expected losses total about $5.8M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Uniondale.

Town Square →
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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. Weather alerts: National Weather Service. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.

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