Wainscott is calmer than 92% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wainscott comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2010.
What stands out about Wainscott’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Wainscott?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 8% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.
Calmer than 1,389 of the 1,524 New York towns we cover.
Wainscott covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Wainscott and its neighbors
Wainscott has the lowest rating of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | Low | inland flooding | 2,567 |
| Sagaponack | Very low | inland flooding | 22 |
| East Hampton | Very low | inland flooding | 45 |
| East Hampton | Very low | inland flooding | 587 |
| Wainscott | Very low | inland flooding | 6 |
| Sag Harbor | Very low | inland flooding | 112 |
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.
What Wainscott faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Hurricanes
Does Wainscott flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2010
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wainscott, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy2 claims · $23K
- The March 2010 nor’easter1 claim · $21K
Wainscott 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 Wainscott 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 Wainscott 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.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- 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.
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 Wainscott’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Wainscott.
- 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 Wainscott, expected losses total about $1.2M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wainscott.
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. Weather alerts: National Weather Service. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.