Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Firthcliffe
Firthcliffe isn’t graded for hazard risk: Firthcliffe is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1979.
What Firthcliffe 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
Hurricanes
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.
Does Firthcliffe flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Firthcliffe, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $301K
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $38K
- The Vermont/New York Flooding2 claims · $28K
Firthcliffe isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Orange County.The storms Firthcliffe remembers
None of the 25 disasters declared for Orange County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Firthcliffe itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20114 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Orange County
- 20162 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20212 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Orange County
Orange County has had 25 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.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Orange County, 1999–2024.
Old photos of Firthcliffe after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Firthcliffe archive →Firthcliffe and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Windsor | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Cornwall-on-Hudson | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Cornwall | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Vails Gate | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Firthcliffe 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Firthcliffe
Does Firthcliffe flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Firthcliffe since 1979, $417K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (4).
Is Firthcliffe 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 Orange County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Firthcliffe?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Firthcliffe’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 Firthcliffe?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 4 paid, $301K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Firthcliffe.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Firthcliffe’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.