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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ghent · FEMA

FEMA puts Ghent’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ghent gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #376 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2001.

River and rain flooding 83%Hurricanes 9%Tornadoes 4%

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

less than 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#376 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
B+#376 of 758
in New York · lower than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
83% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2001 · $45K
Disasters paid out here
9
of 19 declared for Columbia County
By hazard

What Ghent 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

83%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Hail Wildfire Winter storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Ghent’s grade

River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ghent, and Ghent’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Ghent sits
Ghent
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #376 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Ghent’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding83%Hurricanes9%Tornadoes4%Everything else4%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ghent has less expected damage per building than 50% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Ghent: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Ghent’s 5,303 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Ghent CDP (623 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Ghent flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2001

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ghent, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2001: 2 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 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 claims20012009
20012026
3
paid claims since 2001
$45K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$15K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Ghent isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Columbia County.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ghent

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

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$24K to the Town of Ghent for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene8 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$45K to the Town of Ghent for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$31K to the Town of Ghent for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm$111K to the Town of Ghent for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Winter Storm$142K to the Town of Ghent for repairs
  6. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$53K to the Town of Ghent for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2003Snow$11K to the Town of Ghent for repairs
  2. 2002Snowstorms$27K to the Town of Ghent for repairs
  3. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$172K to the Town of Ghent for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GhentColumbia County only

Columbia County has had 19 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ghent archive →
Next door

Ghent and its neighbors

Ghent has the lowest expected damage per building of the 7 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Claverack: hazard risk BKinderhook: hazard risk BAusterlitz: hazard risk B−Chatham: hazard risk C+Stockport: hazard risk CHillsdale: hazard risk B−Stottville: not gradedClaverackKinderhookAusterlitzChathamStockportHillsdaleStottvilleGhent
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GhentB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding3
KinderhookBless damage than 61%river and rain flooding5
ClaverackBless damage than 55%river and rain flooding6
HillsdaleB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding5
AusterlitzB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding5
ChathamC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding6
StockportCmore damage than 75%river and rain flooding22
Stottville—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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Ghent 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
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 Ghent

Is Ghent at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ghent has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #376 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (9%). 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 Ghent flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Ghent since 2001, $45K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Ghent 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 Columbia County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Ghent?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ghent, Severe Storms and Flooding (2000): $172K to the Town of Ghent for repairs.

Is Ghent at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Ghent’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ghent.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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