Dr. Buck-Stevens House · Photo: Elijlyn · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Brasher faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brasher gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #540 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1984.
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 Brasher 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
Earthquakes
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 Brasher’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brasher, and Brasher’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #540 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Brasher’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Brasher has more expected damage per building than 71% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $617K a year in losses across Brasher: $448K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brasher flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brasher, from FEMA’s records: 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 50% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Debby1 claim · $9K
Brasher isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: St. Lawrence County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brasher
Disasters that paid out in Brasher itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Brasher), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$1.4M to the Town of Brasher for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $9K
- 1999Snow$6K to the Town of Brasher for repairs
St. Lawrence County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Brasher after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brasher archive →Brasher and its neighbors
Brasher is 6th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moira | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lawrence | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Bombay | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Massena | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Stockholm | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Brasher | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Norfolk | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brasher Falls | — | 776 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Winthrop | — | 530 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Brasher 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Brasher
Is Brasher at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brasher has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #540 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and earthquakes (9%). 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 Brasher flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Brasher since 1984, $60K in all, or 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 50% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Debby (1).
Is Brasher 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 St. Lawrence County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Brasher?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brasher’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 Brasher?
By FEMA money that reached Brasher, Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby (2024): $1.4M to the Town of Brasher for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Debby: 1 paid, $9K.
Is Brasher at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Brasher’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brasher.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brasher’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.