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Natural hazards · Vestal

Vestal, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Vestal comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 434 claims here since 1978. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Vestal?

41
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Vestal to be higher than in 41% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding78%Tornadoes8%Everything else14%
By hazard

What Vestal faces

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

Inland flooding

78% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Vestal flood?

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

434paid claims since 1978
$24.2Mpaid to owners
71homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Tropical Storm Lee: 251 claims, $19.8M
  • Torrential rain: 22 claims, $428K
  • Not a named storm: 2 claims, $2K

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 2 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (10) ■ flooded 2+ times

of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Vestal isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Broome County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

79flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1homes raised above flood level
Disasters that hit Vestal

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Vestal itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Vestal.

Brought FEMA money into VestalDeclared for Broome County only
2024

Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby

$195K to the Town of Vestal for repairs
2018

Severe Storms and Flooding

$386K to the Town of Vestal for repairs
2017

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$109K to the Town of Vestal for repairs
2011

Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee

1,240 households applied for aid $6.8M aid approved $2.7M to the Town of Vestal for repairs
2011

Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds

$244K to the Town of Vestal for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

521 households applied for aid $1.3M aid approved $1.3M to the Town of Vestal for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

49 households applied for aid $69K aid approved $96K to the Town of Vestal for repairs
2004

Tropical Depression Ivan

50 households applied for aid $39K aid approved $183K to the Town of Vestal for repairs
2004

Severe Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid
2003

Snow

$12K to the Town of Vestal for repairs
2002

Snowstorms

$43K to the Town of Vestal for repairs
Broome County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Around Vestal

Vestal and the towns around it

Union: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBinghamton: Low, mostly inland floodingJohnson City: Moderate, mostly inland floodingOwego: High, mostly inland floodingEndicott: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBinghamton: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDickinson: Very low, mostly inland floodingMaine: High, mostly inland floodingChenango: Moderate, mostly inland floodingConklin: High, mostly inland floodingTioga: High, mostly inland floodingCandor: High, mostly inland floodingOwego: Very high, mostly inland floodingNichols: High, mostly inland floodingNewark Valley: High, mostly inland floodingWarren: High, mostly inland floodingPort Dickinson: Very low, mostly inland floodingKirkwood: Moderate, mostly inland floodingVestal: Moderate, mostly inland flooding VestalUnionBinghamtonJohnson CityOwegoEndicottBinghamton
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Owegomostly inland floodingHigh
Johnson Citymostly inland floodingModerate
Unionmostly inland floodingModerate
Binghamtonmostly inland floodingModerate
Endicottmostly inland floodingModerate
Vestalmostly inland floodingModerate
Binghamtonmostly inland floodingLow
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. Vestal covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Vestal’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Vestal. 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 Vestal total about $8.3M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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