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Hurricane/Tropical Storm - Blenheim, N. Y. , September 4, 2011 -- Damages after Hurricane Irene passed through New York State on August 28, 2011. FEMA plays a vital role supporting State, Tribal and local governments as they respond to the impacts of Hurricane Irene. Photo by Elissa Jun/FEMAPhoto: Department of Homeland Security. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Public Affairs Division. 3/1/2003 · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Blenheim · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Blenheim

Blenheim isn’t graded for hazard risk: Blenheim has 305 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1980.

Flood claims
16
paid since 1980 · $430K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
9
of 20 declared for Schoharie County
By hazard

What Blenheim 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

95%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Avalanches top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Blenheim flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Blenheim, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 3 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: 10 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 claims198019962011
19802026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene10 claims · $399K
  • The Torrential rain1 claim · $4K
16
paid claims since 1980
$430K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$27K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Schoharie County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Blenheim

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

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to the Town of Blenheim for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene$938K to the Town of Blenheim for repairs10 flood claims paid for it, $399K
  3. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$23K to the Town of Blenheim for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm$57K to the Town of Blenheim for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$71K to the Town of Blenheim for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  6. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$5K to the Town of Blenheim for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$25K to the Town of Blenheim for repairs
  2. 2003Snow$2K to the Town of Blenheim for repairs
  3. 2002Snowstorms$3K to the Town of Blenheim for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BlenheimSchoharie County only

Schoharie County has had 20 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Blenheim after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Blenheim archive →
Next door

Blenheim and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Gilboa: hazard risk C+Fulton: hazard risk C−Jefferson: hazard risk C−Summit: hazard risk CGilboaFultonJeffersonSummitBlenheim
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GilboaC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding7
SummitCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding4
FultonC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding25
JeffersonC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding—

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 Blenheim 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 Blenheim

Does Blenheim flood?

Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Blenheim since 1980, $430K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (10).

Is Blenheim 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 Schoharie County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Blenheim?

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

By FEMA money that reached Blenheim, Hurricane Irene (2011): $938K to the Town of Blenheim for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 10 paid, $399K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Blenheim.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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