Photo: LINYperson615 · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Great Neck Estates faces less hazard damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Great Neck Estates gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #271 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then coastal flooding (14%). Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1978.
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
What stands out about Great Neck Estates’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Great Neck Estates 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
Coastal flooding
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
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.
What’s behind Great Neck Estates’ grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Great Neck Estates, and Great Neck Estates’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 14%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #271 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Great Neck Estates’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Great Neck Estates has less expected damage per building than 64% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $807K a year in losses across Great Neck Estates: $724K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Great Neck Estates flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Great Neck Estates, from FEMA’s records: 28.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida4 claims · $63K
- The December Storm - nor’easter2 claims · $65K
Great Neck Estates isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Nassau County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Great Neck Estates
Disasters that paid out in Great Neck Estates itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Great Neck Estates), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$101K to the Village of Great Neck Estates for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$155K to the Village of Great Neck Estates for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$44K to the Village of Great Neck Estates for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$25K to the Village of Great Neck Estates for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$17K to the Village of Great Neck Estates for repairs
- 2003Snow$15K to the Village of Great Neck Estates for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Nassau County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe 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 Great Neck Estates after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Great Neck Estates archive →Great Neck Estates and its neighbors
Great Neck Estates is 6th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Hempstead | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 189 |
| Kensington | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Great Neck | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 103 |
| Great Neck Plaza | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| New York | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 36,272 |
| Great Neck Estates | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| University Gardens | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Harbor Hills | — | 458 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 Great Neck Estates 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Great Neck Estates
Is Great Neck Estates at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Great Neck Estates has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #271 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and coastal flooding (14%). 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 Great Neck Estates flood?
Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in Great Neck Estates since 1978, $477K in all, or 28.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (4).
Is Great Neck Estates 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 Nassau County, 76% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Great Neck Estates?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Great Neck Estates’ 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 Great Neck Estates?
By FEMA money that reached Great Neck Estates, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $155K to the Village of Great Neck Estates for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 4 paid, $63K.
Is Great Neck Estates at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Great Neck Estates’ rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Great Neck Estates.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Great Neck Estates’ 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.