Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Fonda
Fonda isn’t graded for hazard risk: Fonda has 596 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 44 claims here since 1980.
What Fonda 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.
Does Fonda flood? Sometimes: 44 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fonda, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene19 claims · $1.1M
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $209K
Fonda isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Montgomery County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fonda
Disasters that paid out in Fonda itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Fonda), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to the Village of Fonda for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene63 households applied for aid$129K aid approved$31K to the Village of Fonda for repairs19 flood claims paid for it, $1.1M
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding79 households applied for aid$255K aid approved$41K to the Village of Fonda for repairs14 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$26K to the Village of Fonda for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes6 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$2K to the Village of Fonda for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$3K to the Village of Fonda for repairs
Montgomery County has had 19 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 Fonda after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fonda archive →Fonda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glen | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Mohawk | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Fultonville | — | 678 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 Fonda 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 Fonda
Does Fonda flood?
Flood insurance has paid 44 claims in Fonda since 1980, $1.7M in all. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (19).
Is Fonda 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 Montgomery County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fonda?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fonda’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 Fonda?
By FEMA money that reached Fonda, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 79 households applied for aid, $255K approved, and $41K to the Village of Fonda for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 19 paid, $1.1M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fonda.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fonda’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.