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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Clare · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Clare

Clare isn’t graded for hazard risk: Clare has 80 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 13 declared for St. Lawrence County
By hazard

What Clare 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

93%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Tornadoes Hurricanes Winter storms Landslides Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 10% of Clare’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Clare flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Clare. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: St. Lawrence County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clare

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

  1. 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$13K to the Town of Clare for repairs
  2. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$3K to the Town of Clare for repairs
  3. 1999Snow$2K to the Town of Clare for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ClareSt. Lawrence County only

St. Lawrence County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. 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 Clare after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Clare archive →
Next door

Clare and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Pierrepont: hazard risk B−Russell: hazard risk C+Colton: hazard risk CClifton: not gradedPierrepontRussellColtonCliftonClare
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
PierrepontB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding—
RussellC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding1
ColtonCmore damage than 68%river and rain flooding—
Clifton—768 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 Clare 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 Clare

Is Clare 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 St. Lawrence County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Clare?

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

By FEMA money that reached Clare, Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby (2024): $13K to the Town of Clare for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clare.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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