Photo: Caroline Tompkins · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Caroline than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Caroline gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #724 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 18 claims here since 1981.
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 Caroline 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 Caroline’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Caroline, and Caroline’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #724 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Caroline’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Caroline has more expected damage per building than 96% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Caroline: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Caroline flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Caroline, from FEMA’s records: 11.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $3K
Caroline isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tompkins County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Caroline
Disasters that paid out in Caroline itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Caroline), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$372K to the Town of Caroline for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $3K
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$115K to the Town of Caroline for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$11K to the Town of Caroline for repairs
Tompkins County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe 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 Caroline after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Caroline archive →Caroline and its neighbors
Caroline is 6th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danby | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Richford | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Berkshire | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Candor | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Dryden | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Caroline | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
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 Caroline 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 Caroline
Is Caroline at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Caroline has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #724 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Caroline flood?
Flood insurance has paid 18 claims in Caroline since 1981, $75K in all, or 11.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (1).
Is Caroline 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 Tompkins County, 1.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Caroline?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Caroline’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 Caroline?
By FEMA money that reached Caroline, Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee (2011): $372K to the Town of Caroline for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 1 paid, $3K.
Is Caroline at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Caroline’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Caroline.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Caroline’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.