Lattin-Crandall Octagon Barn · Photo: Dmadeo · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Catharine faces more hazard damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Catharine gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1996.
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 Catharine 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 Catharine’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Catharine, and Catharine’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Catharine’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $683K a year in losses across Catharine: $593K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Catharine flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Catharine, from FEMA’s records: 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Catharine isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Schuyler County.The storms Catharine remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Schuyler County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Catharine itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20184 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Schuyler County
- 19962 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms High Winds, Rain and Flooding, declared for Schuyler County
Schuyler County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe 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 Catharine after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Catharine archive →Catharine and its neighbors
Catharine is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hector | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Veteran | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Montour | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Catharine | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Newfield | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Cayuta | — | 528 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 Catharine 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 Catharine
Is Catharine at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Catharine has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Catharine flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Catharine since 1996, $317K in all, or 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Catharine 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 Schuyler County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Catharine?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Catharine’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Catharine at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Catharine’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Catharine.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Catharine’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.