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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Cuba · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Cuba than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cuba gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2003.

River and rain flooding 94%Strong wind 2%Tornadoes 2%

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 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in New York · higher than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
94% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2003 · $3K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 19 declared for Allegany County
By hazard

What Cuba 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

94%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Hurricanes Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Winter storms Wildfire 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 Cuba’s grade

River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cuba, and Cuba’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Cuba sits
Cuba
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding94%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $702K a year in losses across Cuba: $619K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Cuba’s 1,517 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Cuba flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cuba, from FEMA’s records: 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20032016
20032026
2
paid claims since 2003
$3K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$1K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Allegany County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cuba

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

  1. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$26K to the Village of Cuba for repairs
  2. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes89 households applied for aid$116K aid approved$20K to the Village of Cuba for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CubaAllegany County only

Allegany County has had 19 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Cuba archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Cuba 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 Cuba

Is Cuba at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cuba has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Cuba flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Cuba since 2003, $3K in all, or 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Cuba 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 Allegany County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Cuba?

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

By FEMA money that reached Cuba, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2003): 89 households applied for aid, $116K approved, and $20K to the Village of Cuba for repairs.

Is Cuba at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Cuba’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cuba.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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