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 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Forestburgh
Forestburgh isn’t graded for hazard risk: Forestburgh has 789 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1979.
What Forestburgh 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 Forestburgh flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Forestburgh, from FEMA’s records.
Forestburgh isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sullivan County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Forestburgh
Disasters that paid out in Forestburgh itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Forestburgh), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$21K to the Town of Forestburgh for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene5 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$66K to the Town of Forestburgh for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$59 aid approved$296K to the Town of Forestburgh for repairs
- 2003Snow$7K to the Town of Forestburgh for repairs
Show all 7
- 2002Snowstorms$8K to the Town of Forestburgh for repairs
Sullivan County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Forestburgh after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Forestburgh archive →Forestburgh 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thompson | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| Lumberland | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Mamakating | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
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 Forestburgh 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 Forestburgh
Does Forestburgh flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Forestburgh since 1979, $8K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Forestburgh 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 Sullivan County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Forestburgh?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Forestburgh’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 Forestburgh?
By FEMA money that reached Forestburgh, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): 3 households applied for aid, $59 approved, and $296K to the Town of Forestburgh for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Forestburgh.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Forestburgh’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.