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A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Altamont · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Altamont than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Altamont gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 80%Hurricanes 9%Tornadoes 5%

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 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A+
in New York · lower than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 1996 · $33K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
7
of 16 declared for Albany County
By hazard

What Altamont 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

80%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Hail Winter storms Lightning Wildfire 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 Altamont’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Altamont, and Altamont’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Altamont sits
Altamont
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Altamont’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Hurricanes9%Tornadoes5%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $335K a year in losses across Altamont: $219K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Altamont’s 1,675 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Altamont flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Altamont, from FEMA’s records: 12.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 2 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 3 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199920092011
19962026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $3K
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $15K
  • The April 2007 nor’easter1 claim · $865
9
paid claims since 1996
$33K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Albany County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Altamont

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

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$7K to the Village of Altamont for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene39 households applied for aid$62K aid approved$37K to the Village of Altamont for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $15K
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm$9K to the Village of Altamont for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding16 households applied for aid$27K aid approved$54K to the Village of Altamont for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2003Snow$4K to the Village of Altamont for repairs
  6. 2002Snowstorms$11K to the Village of Altamont for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$174K to the Village of Altamont for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $3K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AltamontAlbany County only

Albany County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. 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 Altamont after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Altamont archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Altamont 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
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 Altamont

Is Altamont at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Altamont has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (9%). 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 Altamont flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Altamont since 1996, $33K in all, or 12.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (2).

Is Altamont 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 Albany County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Altamont?

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

By FEMA money that reached Altamont, Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations (1999): $174K to the Village of Altamont for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 2 paid, $3K.

Is Altamont at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Altamont’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Altamont.

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