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Carlton, NY, USA - panoramio (10)Photo: Ron Shawley · CC BY 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Carlton · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Carlton faces less hazard damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carlton gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #302 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1980.

River and rain flooding 92%Strong wind 3%Ice storms 2%

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

less than 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#302 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A−#302 of 758
in New York · lower than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 1980 · $75K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 18 declared for Orleans County
By hazard

What Carlton 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

92%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Tornadoes Hail Hurricanes Winter storms Wildfire Coastal flooding Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Carlton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carlton, and Carlton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Carlton sits
Carlton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #302 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Carlton’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Everything else8%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Carlton has less expected damage per building than 60% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $615K a year in losses across Carlton: $499K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Carlton covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Carlton flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Carlton, from FEMA’s records: 6.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 2 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 4 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198019892017
19802026
11
paid claims since 1980
$75K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orleans County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Carlton

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

  1. 2017Flooding$46K to the Town of Carlton for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$14K to the Town of Carlton for repairs
  3. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Town of Carlton for repairs
  4. 2003Ice Storm$26K to the Town of Carlton for repairs
  5. 1999Snow$12K to the Town of Carlton for repairs
  6. 1999Snow$19K to the Town of Carlton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CarltonOrleans County only

Orleans County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe 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 Carlton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Carlton archive →
Next door

Carlton and its neighbors

Carlton is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Gaines: hazard risk A+Kendall: hazard risk A−Yates: hazard risk A−GainesKendallYatesCarlton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GainesA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding—
YatesA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding1
CarltonA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding11
KendallA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding4

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 Carlton 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 Carlton

Is Carlton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carlton has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #302 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Carlton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Carlton since 1980, $75K in all, or 6.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Carlton 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 Orleans County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Carlton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Carlton, Flooding (2017): $46K to the Town of Carlton for repairs.

Is Carlton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Carlton’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carlton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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