Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Averill Park
Averill Park isn’t graded for hazard risk: Averill Park is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 2009.
What Averill Park 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
Hurricanes
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 Averill Park flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Averill Park, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene5 claims · $49K
- The December nor’easter1 claim · $7K
Averill Park isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rensselaer County.The storms Averill Park remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Rensselaer County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Averill Park itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20116 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Rensselaer County
- 20214 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Henri, declared for Rensselaer County
- 20091 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Rensselaer County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical 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 Averill Park after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Averill Park archive →Averill Park and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Sand Lake | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Averill Park 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.
- 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.
- 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 Averill Park
Does Averill Park flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Averill Park since 2009, $276K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (5).
Is Averill Park 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 Rensselaer County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Averill Park?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Averill Park’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 Averill Park?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 5 paid, $49K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Averill Park.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Averill Park’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.