Storms, floods and disasters in Hamilton
Hamilton isn’t graded for hazard risk: Hamilton has 320 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Hamilton 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
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.
Does Hamilton flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hamilton. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hamilton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Monroe County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hamilton
Disasters that paid out in Hamilton itself (aid to households or repair grants to Hamilton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes38 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding31 households applied for aid$54K aid approved
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Associated Flooding4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding57 households applied for aid$43K aid approved
Monroe County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Hamilton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hamilton archive →Hamilton and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hamilton | — | 480 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Hamilton faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Hamilton
Is Hamilton 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 Monroe County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hamilton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hamilton’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 Hamilton?
By FEMA money that reached Hamilton, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2019): 31 households applied for aid, $54K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hamilton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hamilton’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.