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Lyman P. Akins HouseLyman P. Akins House · Photo: Maddmonkey · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Berkshire · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Berkshire than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berkshire gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 96%Tornadoes 1%Hurricanes 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 72%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 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1979 · $2K
Disasters paid out here
10
of 20 declared for Tioga County
By hazard

What Berkshire 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hurricanes 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 Berkshire’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Berkshire, and Berkshire’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Berkshire sits
Berkshire
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding96%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $469K a year in losses across Berkshire: $418K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Berkshire’s 1,480 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Richford town (1,043 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 Berkshire flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Berkshire, from FEMA’s records: 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 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: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 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 claims19792013
19792026
2
paid claims since 1979
$2K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$1K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Tioga County.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Berkshire

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

  1. 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred$14K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$204K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
  3. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee49 households applied for aid$112K aid approved$244K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$57K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$66K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
  6. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$51K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$47K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
  2. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$159K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
  3. 2002Snowstorms$10K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
  4. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$51K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BerkshireTioga County only

Tioga County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. 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 Berkshire after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Berkshire archive →
Next door

Berkshire and its neighbors

Berkshire is 2nd of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Caroline: hazard risk C−Candor: hazard risk C−Richford: hazard risk CNewark Valley: hazard risk C−Lisle: hazard risk C−Nanticoke: hazard risk DCarolineCandorRichfordNewark ValleyLisleNanticokeBerkshire
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RichfordCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding1
BerkshireCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding2
Newark ValleyC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding19
LisleC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding6
CandorC−more damage than 81%river and rain flooding23
CarolineC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding18
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 Berkshire 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 Berkshire

Is Berkshire at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berkshire has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Berkshire flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Berkshire since 1979, $2K in all, or 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Berkshire 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 Tioga County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Berkshire?

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

By FEMA money that reached Berkshire, Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 49 households applied for aid, $112K approved, and $244K to the Town of Berkshire for repairs.

Is Berkshire at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Berkshire’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Berkshire.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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