Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Almond
Almond isn’t graded for hazard risk: Almond has 368 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1984.
What Almond 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.
Does Almond flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Almond, from FEMA’s records.
Almond isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Allegany County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Almond
Disasters that paid out in Almond itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Almond), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Allegany County has had 19 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; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Almond after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Almond archive →Get ready for what Almond 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 Almond
Does Almond flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Almond since 1984, $35K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Almond 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 Allegany County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Almond?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Almond’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 Almond?
By FEMA money that reached Almond, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2003): 2 households applied for aid, $3K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Almond.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Almond’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.