Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0For strong wind, Ogdensburg’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ogdensburg gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then strong wind (18%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1983.
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 Ogdensburg 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
Strong wind
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 Ogdensburg’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ogdensburg, and Ogdensburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 18%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ogdensburg’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $708K a year in losses across Ogdensburg: $382K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ogdensburg flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ogdensburg, from FEMA’s records: 8.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $32K
Ogdensburg isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sussex County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ogdensburg
Disasters that paid out in Ogdensburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Ogdensburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Hurricane Sandy4 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storm$19K to the Borough of Ogdensburg for repairs
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$2K to the Borough of Ogdensburg for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene95 households applied for aid$185K aid approved$36K to the Borough of Ogdensburg for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $32K
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$3K to the Borough of Ogdensburg for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Show all 7
- 2000Severe Storms, Flooding and Mudslides$170K to the Borough of Ogdensburg for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
Sussex County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Ogdensburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ogdensburg archive →Ogdensburg and its neighbors
Ogdensburg is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Hardyston Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ogdensburg | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Franklin | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
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 Ogdensburg 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Ogdensburg
Is Ogdensburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ogdensburg has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and strong wind (18%). 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 Ogdensburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Ogdensburg since 1983, $53K in all, or 8.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Ogdensburg 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 Sussex County, 36% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ogdensburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ogdensburg’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 Ogdensburg?
By FEMA money that reached Ogdensburg, Hurricane Irene (2011): 95 households applied for aid, $185K approved, and $36K to the Borough of Ogdensburg for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $32K.
Is Ogdensburg at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Ogdensburg’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ogdensburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ogdensburg’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.