Covert Historic District · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Covert’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Covert gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 7 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 Covert 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 Covert’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Covert, and Covert’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Covert’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $452K a year in losses across Covert: $322K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Covert flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Covert, from FEMA’s records: 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Covert isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Seneca County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Covert
Disasters that paid out in Covert itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Covert), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Storms and Flooding$847K to the Town of Covert for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Seneca County has had 6 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, 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 Covert after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Covert archive →Covert and its neighbors
Covert has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covert | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Genoa | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lansing | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Ulysses | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ovid | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Lodi | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
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 Covert 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 Covert
Is Covert at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Covert has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Covert flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Covert since 1993, $92K in all, or 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Covert 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 Seneca County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Covert?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Covert’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 Covert?
By FEMA money that reached Covert, Severe Storms and Flooding (2018): $847K to the Town of Covert for repairs.
Is Covert at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Covert’s rate for it is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Covert.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Covert’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.