Easton Friends North Meetinghouse · Photo: Mark Kozlowski · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Easton than in 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Easton gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.
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 Easton 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 Easton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Easton, and Easton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Easton’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $957K a year in losses across Easton: $767K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Easton flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Easton, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Easton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washington County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Easton
Disasters that paid out in Easton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Easton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Hurricane Irene$17K to the Town of Easton for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2008Severe Winter Storm$87K to the Town of Easton for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$193K to the Town of Easton for repairs
Washington County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical 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 Easton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Easton archive →Easton and its neighbors
Easton has the lowest expected damage per building of the 8 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easton | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Greenwich | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Schaghticoke | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Schuylerville | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Jackson | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Stillwater | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Saratoga | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Stillwater | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Cambridge | — | not graded yet | |
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 Easton 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 Easton
Is Easton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Easton has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). 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 Easton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Easton since 2011, $8K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Easton 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 Washington County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Easton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Easton’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 Easton?
By FEMA money that reached Easton, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): $193K to the Town of Easton for repairs.
Is Easton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Easton’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Easton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Easton’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.