Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Cornish than in 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cornish gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Cornish 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
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.
What’s behind Cornish’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cornish, and Cornish’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Cornish’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $498K a year in losses across Cornish: $405K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cornish flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cornish. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Cornish isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sullivan County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cornish
Disasters that paid out in Cornish itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cornish), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$21K to the Town of Cornish for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$108K to the Town of Cornish for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$5K to the Town of Cornish for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$26K to the Town of Cornish for repairs
Sullivan County has had 27 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 Cornish after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cornish archive →Cornish and its neighbors
Cornish is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Claremont | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Plainfield | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Cornish | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Croydon | — | 798 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 Cornish 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.
- 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 Cornish
Is Cornish at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cornish has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Cornish 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 Sullivan County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cornish?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cornish’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 Cornish?
By FEMA money that reached Cornish, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2013): $108K to the Town of Cornish for repairs.
Is Cornish at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Cornish’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cornish.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cornish’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.