Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Berlin’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berlin gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Berlin 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 Berlin’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Berlin, and Berlin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Berlin’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Berlin: $877K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Berlin flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Berlin. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Berlin 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.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Berlin
Disasters that paid out in Berlin itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Berlin), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$18K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene8 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$262K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$21K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm$60K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$390 aid approved$37K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$21K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
Show all 7
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$39K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
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 Berlin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Berlin archive →Berlin and its neighbors
Berlin is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Sand Lake | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Poestenkill | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Stephentown | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Berlin | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Petersburgh | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Berlin 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 Berlin
Is Berlin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berlin has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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.
Is Berlin 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 Berlin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Berlin’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 Berlin?
By FEMA money that reached Berlin, Hurricane Irene (2011): 8 households applied for aid, $6K approved, and $262K to the Town of Berlin for repairs.
Is Berlin at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Berlin’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Berlin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Berlin’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.