Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Augusta faces less hazard damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Augusta gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2013.
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 Augusta 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.
What’s behind Augusta’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Augusta, and Augusta’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Augusta’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $544K a year in losses across Augusta: $436K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Augusta flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Augusta, from FEMA’s records: 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Augusta isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oneida County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Augusta
Disasters that paid out in Augusta itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Augusta), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$18K to the Town of Augusta for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$152K to the Town of Augusta for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2007Record Snow and Near Record Snow$10K to the Town of Augusta for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$35K to the Town of Augusta for repairs
- 2004Snow$7K to the Town of Augusta for repairs
- 2003Ice Storm$9K to the Town of Augusta for repairs
Show all 8
- 2002Snowstorms$7K to the Town of Augusta for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the Town of Augusta for repairs
Oneida County has had 21 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.
Old photos of Augusta after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Augusta archive →Augusta and its neighbors
Augusta is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockbridge | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Marshall | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Augusta | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Kirkland | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 153 |
| Vernon | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Madison | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Oriskany Falls | — | 600 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.
Get ready for what Augusta 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 Augusta
Is Augusta at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Augusta has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Augusta flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Augusta since 2013, $66K in all, or 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Augusta 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 Oneida County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Augusta?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Augusta’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 Augusta?
By FEMA money that reached Augusta, Severe Storms and Flooding (2013): $152K to the Town of Augusta for repairs.
Is Augusta at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Augusta’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Augusta.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Augusta’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.