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Chenango Canal Prism and Lock 107Chenango Canal Prism and Lock 107 · Photo: Stephen Schweitzer · CC BY-SA 3.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Barker · FEMA

FEMA puts Barker’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barker gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 97%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 73%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 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
97% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 1982 · $50K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 23 declared for Broome County
By hazard

What Barker 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 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hurricanes Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes 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 Barker’s grade

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

Where Barker sits
Barker
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Barker’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 $867K a year in losses across Barker: $714K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Barker’s 2,509 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 Barker flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Barker, from FEMA’s records: 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 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: 3 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 claims198220052011
19822026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Lee3 claims · $38K
  • The Torrential rain1 claim · $11K
5
paid claims since 1982
$50K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Broome County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Barker

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

  1. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$122K to the Town of Barker for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $38K
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$29K to the Town of Barker for repairs
  3. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$84K to the Town of Barker for repairs
  4. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$21K to the Town of Barker for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$5K to the Town of Barker for repairs
  6. 2002Snowstorms$15K to the Town of Barker for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BarkerBroome County only

Broome County has had 23 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 Barker after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Barker archive →
Next door

Barker and its neighbors

Barker is 4th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Chenango: hazard risk C+Nanticoke: hazard risk DGreene: hazard risk C−Triangle: hazard risk BFenton: hazard risk C+Maine: hazard risk C−ChenangoNanticokeGreeneTriangleFentonMaineBarker
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
TriangleBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding3
FentonC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding36
ChenangoC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding90
BarkerCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding5
GreeneC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding43
MaineC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding33
NanticokeDmore damage than 85%river and rain flooding3

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 Barker 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 Barker

Is Barker at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barker has higher expected damage per building than 73% 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 Barker flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Barker since 1982, $50K in all, or 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (3).

Is Barker 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 Broome County, 1.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Barker?

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

By FEMA money that reached Barker, Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee (2011): $122K to the Town of Barker for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 3 paid, $38K.

Is Barker at risk from river and rain flooding?

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

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Barker.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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