Valley Cottage is calmer than 96% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Valley Cottage comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 106 claims here since 1978.
What stands out about Valley Cottage’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Valley Cottage?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 4% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,478 of the 1,524 New York towns we cover.
Valley Cottage covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Does Valley Cottage flood? Yes: 106 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Valley Cottage, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Floyd11 claims · $316K
- The Not a named storm10 claims · $12K
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $37K
Valley Cottage 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.The storms Valley Cottage remembers
None of the disasters declared for Rockland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Valley Cottage itself in FEMA’s records.
- 200415 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
- 198411 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
- 197915 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
Rockland County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Old photos of Valley Cottage after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Valley Cottage archive →What Valley Cottage faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Hurricanes
Cold waves
Earthquakes
Strong wind
Tornadoes
Get ready for what Valley Cottage 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.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- 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.
Valley Cottage and its neighbors
Valley Cottage ranks 2nd calmest of 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Cottage | Very low | inland flooding | 106 |
| Nyack | Very low | inland flooding | 62 |
| Upper Nyack | Very low | inland flooding | 7 |
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–October
The month each of Rockland County’s 22 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 Valley Cottage’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Valley Cottage.
- 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 Valley Cottage, expected losses total about $1.8M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Valley Cottage.
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.