Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Cochecton’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cochecton gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1993.
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 Cochecton 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 Cochecton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cochecton, and Cochecton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Cochecton’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $887K a year in losses across Cochecton: $726K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cochecton flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cochecton, from FEMA’s records: 14.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Torrential rain3 claims · $22K
Cochecton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sullivan County.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cochecton
Disasters that paid out in Cochecton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cochecton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$22K to the Town of Cochecton for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy1 households applied for aid$13K to the Town of Cochecton for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene1 households applied for aid$46K to the Town of Cochecton for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding17 households applied for aid$37K aid approved$111K to the Town of Cochecton for repairs10 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$493K to the Town of Cochecton for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan4 households applied for aid$919 aid approved$214K to the Town of Cochecton for repairs
Show all 10
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$85K to the Town of Cochecton for repairs
- 2003Snow$7K to the Town of Cochecton for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$19K to the Town of Cochecton for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$423K to the Town of Cochecton for repairs
Sullivan County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Cochecton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cochecton archive →Cochecton and its neighbors
Cochecton is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Cochecton | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Damascus Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
| Delaware | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| Tusten | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 39 |
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 Cochecton 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 Cochecton
Is Cochecton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cochecton has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). 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 Cochecton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Cochecton since 1993, $386K in all, or 14.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (3).
Is Cochecton 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 Sullivan County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cochecton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cochecton’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 Cochecton?
By FEMA money that reached Cochecton, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): $493K to the Town of Cochecton for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 3 paid, $22K.
Is Cochecton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Cochecton’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cochecton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cochecton’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.