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 expects about as much hazard damage per building in Eaton as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eaton gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #475 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Eaton 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 Eaton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Eaton, and Eaton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
B #475 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Eaton’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Eaton has more expected damage per building than 63% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Eaton: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Eaton flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Eaton. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Eaton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Madison County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Eaton
Disasters that paid out in Eaton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Eaton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$15K to the Town of Eaton for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$84K to the Town of Eaton for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$75K to the Town of Eaton for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$52K to the Town of Eaton for repairs
- 2003Ice Storm$21K to the Town of Eaton for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$5K to the Town of Eaton for repairs
Show all 7
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$50K to the Town of Eaton for repairs
Madison County has had 18 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.
Old photos of Eaton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Eaton archive →Eaton and its neighbors
Eaton is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Stockbridge | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Eaton | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Madison | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lebanon | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
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 Eaton 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 Eaton
Is Eaton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eaton has lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #475 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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.
Is Eaton 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 Madison County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Eaton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Eaton’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 Eaton?
By FEMA money that reached Eaton, Severe Storms and Flooding (2013): $84K to the Town of Eaton for repairs.
Is Eaton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Eaton’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Eaton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Eaton’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.