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Syracuse, KansasPhoto: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Syracuse · FEMA

FEMA puts Syracuse’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Syracuse gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then hail (16%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 59%Hail 16%Tornadoes 13%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

less than 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Kansas · lower than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
59% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 8 declared for Hamilton County
By hazard

What Syracuse faces

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

River and rain flooding

59%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Hail

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Winter storms top 3% Earthquakes Ice storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 43% of Syracuse’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Syracuse’s grade

River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Syracuse, and Syracuse’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 16%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Syracuse sits
Syracuse
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Syracuse’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding59%Hail16%Tornadoes13%Everything else12%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Syracuse: $438K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Syracuse’s 1,826 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Coolidge township (101 residents) and Coolidge city (80 residents) and Kendall township (70 residents) and Bear Creek township (66 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Syracuse flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Syracuse. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Hamilton County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Syracuse

Disasters that paid out in Syracuse itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Syracuse), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$53K to the City of Syracuse for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Winter Storm$17K to the City of Syracuse for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SyracuseHamilton County only

Hamilton County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Syracuse after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Syracuse archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Syracuse faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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.

Questions about natural hazards in Syracuse

Is Syracuse at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Syracuse has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and hail (16%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Syracuse in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Hamilton County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Syracuse?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Syracuse’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Syracuse?

By FEMA money that reached Syracuse, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2017): $53K to the City of Syracuse for repairs.

Is Syracuse at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Syracuse’s rate for it is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Syracuse.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Syracuse’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.