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BoldtcastlePhoto: Jiri Eischmann/Sesivany · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Alexandria · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Alexandria than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alexandria gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #317 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1993.

River and rain flooding 89%Earthquakes 4%Strong wind 4%

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 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#317 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A−#317 of 758
in New York · lower than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1993 · $33K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 15 declared for Jefferson County
By hazard

What Alexandria 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

89%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Tornadoes Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Alexandria’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alexandria, and Alexandria’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Alexandria sits
Alexandria
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #317 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Alexandria’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Earthquakes4%Strong wind4%Everything else4%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Alexandria has less expected damage per building than 58% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Alexandria: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Alexandria covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Alexandria flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Alexandria, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 3 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19932019
19932026
4
paid claims since 1993
$33K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Jefferson County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Alexandria

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

  1. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$14K to the Town of Alexandria for repairs
  2. 1999Snow$7K to the Town of Alexandria for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AlexandriaJefferson County only

Jefferson County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Alexandria archive →
Next door

Alexandria and its neighbors

Alexandria is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Theresa: hazard risk C+Redwood: not gradedOrleans: hazard risk AHammond: hazard risk BTheresaRedwoodOrleansHammondAlexandria
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
OrleansAless damage than 87%river and rain flooding3
AlexandriaA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding4
HammondBless damage than 58%river and rain flooding1
TheresaC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding—
Redwood—371 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Alexandria 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 ↗
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 Alexandria

Is Alexandria at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alexandria has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #317 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Alexandria flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Alexandria since 1993, $33K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Alexandria 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 Jefferson County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Alexandria?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alexandria’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 Alexandria?

By FEMA money that reached Alexandria, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding (2014): $14K to the Town of Alexandria for repairs.

Is Alexandria at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Alexandria’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alexandria.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alexandria’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.