Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Ashland

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Wellsburg StationPhoto: E. Bailey · Public domain
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Ashland · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Ashland faces more hazard damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ashland gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 34 claims here since 1992.

River and rain flooding 97%Hurricanes 1%Tornadoes 1%

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

more than 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in New York · higher than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
97% of expected building damage
Flood claims
34
paid since 1992 · $690K
Flooded more than once
4
properties · 2 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
4
of 12 declared for Chemung County
By hazard

What Ashland 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

97%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
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 Ashland’s grade

River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ashland, and Ashland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ashland sits
Ashland
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding97%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $703K a year in losses across Ashland: $647K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Ashland’s 1,510 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Wellsburg village (490 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Ashland flood? Sometimes: 34 flood claims since 1992

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ashland, from FEMA’s records: 47.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1992: 2 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 4 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 14 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 12 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199419962011
19922026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene9 claims · $346K
  • Tropical Storm Lee3 claims · $29K
  • The December Storm - nor’easter2 claims · $38K
34
paid claims since 1992
$690K
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Chemung County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ashland

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

  1. 2018Severe Storms and Flooding$67K to the Town of Ashland for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$38K to the Town of Ashland for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $29K
  3. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$57K to the Town of Ashland for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$12K to the Town of Ashland for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AshlandChemung County only

Chemung County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, 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 Ashland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Ashland archive →
Next door

Ashland and its neighbors

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

Chemung: hazard risk B−Elmira: hazard risk C+Southport: hazard risk B+ChemungElmiraSouthportAshland
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SouthportB+less damage than 68%river and rain flooding19
ChemungB−more damage than 53%river and rain flooding8
ElmiraC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding7
AshlandCmore damage than 74%river and rain flooding34

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 Ashland 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 Ashland

Is Ashland at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ashland has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Ashland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 34 claims in Ashland since 1992, $690K in all, or 47.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (9).

Is Ashland 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 Chemung County, 1.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Ashland?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ashland, Severe Storms and Flooding (2018): $67K to the Town of Ashland for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 9 paid, $346K.

Is Ashland at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Ashland’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ashland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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