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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Denmark · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Denmark faces less hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Denmark gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #406 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1993.

River and rain flooding 89%Ice storms 4%Strong wind 3%

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

less than 66%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#406 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
B+#406 of 758
in New York · lower than 66% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 1993 · $114K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 22 declared for Lewis County
By hazard

What Denmark 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

89%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Strong wind Earthquakes Tornadoes Hurricanes Winter storms Hail Wildfire Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Denmark’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Denmark, and Denmark’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Denmark sits
Denmark
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #406 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Ice storms4%Everything else7%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Denmark has more expected damage per building than 54% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $813K a year in losses across Denmark: $711K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Denmark’s 2,626 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Copenhagen village (631 residents) and Castorland village (334 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Denmark flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Denmark, from FEMA’s records: 6.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 6 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199319982014
19932026
8
paid claims since 1993
$114K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$14K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lewis County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Denmark

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

  1. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$6K to the Town of Denmark for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$3K to the Town of Denmark for repairs
  3. 2007Record Snow and Near Record Snow$7K to the Town of Denmark for repairs
  4. 2004Snow$6K to the Town of Denmark for repairs
  5. 1999Snow$4K to the Town of Denmark for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DenmarkLewis County only

Lewis County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. 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 Denmark after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Denmark archive →
Next door

Denmark and its neighbors

Denmark is 4th of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Croghan: hazard risk B−Champion: hazard risk ANew Bremen: hazard risk B−Wilna: hazard risk C−Carthage: hazard risk C−Lowville: hazard risk B+Rutland: hazard risk A−CroghanChampionNew BremenWilnaCarthageLowvilleRutlandDenmark
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ChampionAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding2
RutlandA−less damage than 85%river and rain flooding1
LowvilleB+less damage than 68%river and rain flooding1
DenmarkB+less damage than 66%river and rain flooding8
CroghanB−less damage than 53%river and rain flooding1
New BremenB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding1
WilnaC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding12
CarthageC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding17

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 Denmark 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 Denmark

Is Denmark at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Denmark has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #406 of 758 in New York. 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 Denmark flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Denmark since 1993, $114K in all, or 6.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Denmark 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 Lewis County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Denmark?

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

By FEMA money that reached Denmark, Record Snow and Near Record Snow (2007): $7K to the Town of Denmark for repairs.

Is Denmark at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Denmark’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Denmark.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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