Cincinnatus Historic District · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Cincinnatus
Cincinnatus isn’t graded for hazard risk: Cincinnatus has 998 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1979.
What Cincinnatus 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.
Does Cincinnatus flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cincinnatus, from FEMA’s records.
- The Torrential rain7 claims · $546K
Cincinnatus isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cortland County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cincinnatus
Disasters that paid out in Cincinnatus itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cincinnatus), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to the Town of Cincinnatus for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding$70K to the Town of Cincinnatus for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$23K to the Town of Cincinnatus for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding32 households applied for aid$48K aid approved$36K to the Town of Cincinnatus for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
Cortland County has had 13 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 Cincinnatus after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cincinnatus archive →Cincinnatus and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Cincinnatus 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 Cincinnatus
Does Cincinnatus flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Cincinnatus since 1979, $563K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (7).
Is Cincinnatus 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 Cortland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cincinnatus?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cincinnatus’ 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 Cincinnatus?
By FEMA money that reached Cincinnatus, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): 32 households applied for aid, $48K approved, and $36K to the Town of Cincinnatus for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 7 paid, $546K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cincinnatus.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cincinnatus’ 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.