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Dr. Hovey Everett HouseDr. Hovey Everett House · Photo: Lvklock · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Chemung · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Chemung 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, Chemung gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 96%Hurricanes 2%Tornadoes 1%

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

more than 53%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in New York · higher than 53% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 1978 · $51K
Flood insurance
05% off
Community discount (class 9)
By hazard

What Chemung 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

96%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Chemung’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chemung, and Chemung’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Chemung sits
Chemung
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Chemung’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding96%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $836K a year in losses across Chemung: $745K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Chemung’s 2,358 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Baldwin town (812 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Chemung flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chemung, from FEMA’s records: 7.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 3 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819962011
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $13K
8
paid claims since 1978
$51K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of all homes are insured
Community discount05% off flood insurance

Chemung is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Chemung County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chemung

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

  1. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee4 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$196K to the Town of Chemung for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $13K
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$18K to the Town of Chemung for repairs
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$17K to the Town of Chemung for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ChemungChemung County only

Chemung County has had 12 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Chemung after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Chemung archive →
Next door

Chemung and its neighbors

Chemung has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Ashland: hazard risk CBaldwin: not gradedBarton: hazard risk CWaverly: hazard risk C+AshlandBaldwinBartonWaverlyChemung
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ChemungB−more damage than 53%river and rain flooding8
WaverlyC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding12
BartonCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding65
AshlandCmore damage than 74%river and rain flooding34
Baldwin—816 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Chemung 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.
  • Chemung residents get 05% off flood insurance.
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 Chemung

Is Chemung at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chemung has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Chemung flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Chemung since 1978, $51K in all, or 7.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).

Is Chemung 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 Chemung County, 1.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Chemung?

Chemung is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Chemung?

By FEMA money that reached Chemung, Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 4 households applied for aid, $3K approved, and $196K to the Town of Chemung for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $13K.

Is Chemung at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Chemung’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chemung.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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