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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Fort Plain · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Fort Plain than in 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Plain gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 86 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 96%Hurricanes 1%

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

more than 89%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in New York · higher than 89% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
86
paid since 1979 · $3.4M
Flooded more than once
15
properties
Disasters paid out here
8
of 19 declared for Montgomery County

What stands out about Fort Plain’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Landslides: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.4% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way14 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 201342 flood claims were paid for 2013 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Fort Plain 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Landslides top 1% Ice storms Winter storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Fort Plain’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fort Plain, and Fort Plain’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Fort Plain sits
Fort Plain
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Fort Plain’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding96%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Fort Plain: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Fort Plain covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Fort Plain flood? Sometimes: 86 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fort Plain, from FEMA’s records: 69.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 1 claim1981: 17 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 2 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 17 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 4 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 42 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198120062013
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $98K
86
paid claims since 1979
$3.4M
paid to owners
15
homes flooded more than once
$39K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Fort Plain 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
14flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fort Plain

Disasters that paid out in Fort Plain itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Fort Plain), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$19K to the Village of Fort Plain for repairs
  2. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$1.4M to the Village of Fort Plain for repairs42 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2011Hurricane Irene9 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$184K to the Village of Fort Plain for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$22K to the Village of Fort Plain for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Village of Fort Plain for repairs
  6. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding202 households applied for aid$438K aid approved$1.6M to the Village of Fort Plain for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes15 households applied for aid$20K aid approved$43K to the Village of Fort Plain for repairs
  2. 2002Snowstorms$9K to the Village of Fort Plain for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Fort PlainMontgomery County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Fort Plain after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Fort Plain archive →
Next door

Fort Plain and its neighbors

Fort Plain is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Nelliston: not gradedMinden: hazard risk DPalatine: hazard risk B−NellistonMindenPalatineFort Plain
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
PalatineB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding2
MindenDmore damage than 89%river and rain flooding12
Fort PlainDmore damage than 89%river and rain flooding86
Nelliston—707 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Fort Plain faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Fort Plain

Is Fort Plain at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Plain has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Fort Plain flood?

Flood insurance has paid 86 claims in Fort Plain since 1979, $3.4M in all, or 69.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 15 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (1).

Is Fort Plain 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 Fort Plain?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fort Plain’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 Fort Plain?

By FEMA money that reached Fort Plain, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 202 households applied for aid, $438K approved, and $1.6M to the Village of Fort Plain for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 1 paid, $98K.

Is Fort Plain at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Fort Plain’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fort Plain.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fort Plain’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.