Photo: Ev3rm0r3 · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Tioga faces less hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tioga gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), then tornadoes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2009.
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
What stands out about Tioga’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Tioga 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
Ice storms
Winter storms
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); winter storms is FEMA’s “Winter Weather” (snow, sleet and freezing rain). 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.
What’s behind Tioga’s grade
River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tioga, and Tioga’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 8%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Tioga’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Tioga: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tioga flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tioga, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Tioga isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Williams County.The storms Tioga remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Williams County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Tioga itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20091 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Williams County
Williams County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Tioga after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tioga archive →Tioga and its neighbors
Tioga has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tioga | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Tioga Township | — | 49 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 Tioga 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.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Tioga
Is Tioga at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tioga has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) and tornadoes (11%). 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.
Does Tioga flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Tioga since 2009, $2K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Tioga 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 Williams County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Tioga?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tioga’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Tioga at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Tioga’s rate for it is lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tioga.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tioga’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.