Photo: DanTD · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Brightwaters’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brightwaters gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #319 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 111 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Brightwaters’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Brightwaters 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
Hurricanes
Coastal 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 Brightwaters’ grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brightwaters, and Brightwaters’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 11%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #319 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Brightwaters’ 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, Brightwaters has less expected damage per building than 58% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $857K a year in losses across Brightwaters: $774K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brightwaters flood? Yes: 111 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brightwaters, from FEMA’s records: 105.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy62 claims · $3.3M
- The Torrential rain8 claims · $87K
- The March 2010 nor’easter5 claims · $18K
Brightwaters isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Suffolk County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brightwaters
Disasters that paid out in Brightwaters itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Brightwaters), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Hurricane Sandy96 households applied for aid$333K aid approved62 flood claims paid for it, $3.3M
- 2011Hurricane Irene4 households applied for aid$1K aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $25K
Suffolk County has had 26 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 Brightwaters after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brightwaters archive →Brightwaters and its neighbors
Brightwaters has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brightwaters | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 111 |
| Bay Shore | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| West Bay Shore | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Brightwaters 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Brightwaters
Is Brightwaters at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brightwaters has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #319 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and hurricanes (12%). 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 Brightwaters flood?
Flood insurance has paid 111 claims in Brightwaters since 1978, $3.7M in all, or 105.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (62).
Is Brightwaters 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 Suffolk County, 66% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brightwaters?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brightwaters’ 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 Brightwaters?
By FEMA money that reached Brightwaters, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 96 households applied for aid, $333K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 62 paid, $3.3M.
Is Brightwaters at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Brightwaters’ rate for it is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brightwaters.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brightwaters’ 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.