Route 29 Stone Arch Bridge · Photo: Allan Green · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Fairfield faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfield gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1980.
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 Fairfield 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 Fairfield’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairfield, and Fairfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fairfield’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $510K a year in losses across Fairfield: $450K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fairfield flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fairfield, from FEMA’s records: 36.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Fairfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Herkimer County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fairfield
Disasters that paid out in Fairfield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Fairfield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$810K to the Town of Fairfield for repairs9 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$6K to the Town of Fairfield for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$66K to the Town of Fairfield for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$9K to the Town of Fairfield for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$44K to the Town of Fairfield for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$9K to the Town of Fairfield for repairs
Show all 7
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$138K to the Town of Fairfield for repairs
Herkimer 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 Fairfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fairfield archive →Fairfield and its neighbors
Fairfield is 5th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Falls | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Manheim | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Salisbury | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Newport | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Fairfield | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Herkimer | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Norway | — | 930 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Fairfield 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 Fairfield
Is Fairfield at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfield has higher expected damage per building than 58% 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 Fairfield flood?
Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Fairfield since 1980, $783K in all, or 36.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Fairfield 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 Herkimer County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Fairfield?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fairfield’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 Fairfield?
By FEMA money that reached Fairfield, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $810K to the Town of Fairfield for repairs.
Is Fairfield at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Fairfield’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairfield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fairfield’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.